Immortal Dynasty by Lynda Haviland Read Free Book Online

then moved to stand in front of the statue again. The pain on her face tugged at his heart. He wondered why the artist chose to capture her in such a vulnerable emotion. He easily pictured her strong and vibrant, racing wildly across a plateau in her chariot, fighting the enemies of Egypt.
    Unconsciously, he stepped up onto the pedestal with her and placed his palm on her shoulder. He’d expected the golden sculpture to be cold, but it felt hot against his fingertips. He moved his hand across all of the same places he’d seen Therion touch her. Something in him wanted to remove for her the taint of his enemy’s touch.
    As his fingertips passed across the center of her chest, a blue light slowly sizzled to life. Darius started to step backward and nearly fell off of the pedestal. Grabbing her by the arms to steady himself, he realized that she was…trembling.
    The blue light glowed brightly now, and he was stunned to recognize the shape it took. It formed a circle. Inside of it was an eye symbol within a pyramid. It was a reverse image of the one embossed on the medallion.
    The air in the room pulsated. Unlike the deep cold he’d felt around the void, these pulses felt like warm liquid waves. The medallion buzzed with heat, shaking violently. The statue seemed ready to explode. His bones shuddered from the intense vibrations in the room. He had to do something.
      Darius turned the medallion around so that the image on it and on her mirrored each other. The medallion whisked away from his chest and slapped into place on the statue like a magnet. Like a key.
    A glow spread across the statue until it was engulfed in blue flame. The gold patina on the statue began to melt away slowly, revealing soft flesh. A chandelier burst, showering them both with crystal shards. The figure crumpled forward into Darius’ arms.
    Okay, what the hell is this? Surely someone had heard the glass shattering. Darius shifted back and forth on his feet, looking around nervously. He stood there, just gaping at the unconscious form leaning limply against him. Shit. This is not in the master plan!
    He stepped off of the platform and laid her gently on the floor. He backed away from her, again looking around nervously. He rubbed the back of his head. Think, Darius!
    “Marcus,” he whispered. “Marcus.” He tried more urgently. He heard nothing in his earpiece. Not even static. Something must have interrupted the audio feed. He wondered if Marcus had seen any of this.
    He also wondered if this was what his grandfather had meant when he said to get the Lady of Flame. Was that why he’d been so obsessed with finding her? Damn, but he wished he could ask Papa Shadi right now.
    He knelt down next to her body and felt for a pulse. He felt no fluttering of life, yet her body felt soft. A dead body would be hard with rigor after thousands of years.
    Before his better judgment opposed it, Darius tilted her head, pinched her nose, and covered her mouth with his. Despite the flames he had seen and felt, her lips were ice cold. He gave two quick breaths. Nothing. He pumped her chest, and blew in her mouth again.

    * * *

    Oh, goddess. Help me.
    The first tingling of reality brought fear. Sensations prickled nerve ends, zinging across old pathways to her brain. Moisture trickled through dry veins, bringing life to gray, dormant blood cells. The first pumps of a renewed heart sounded like thunder inside her head.
    What was happening? She wanted to scream with the sheer terror of it. Her flesh burned icy hot as cool air caressed it for the first time in millennia. An excruciating pain flared in the center of her chest. It vibrated unmercifully, demanding something.
    Something answered. A burst of pure energy radiated from her heart. The feeling brought relief and joy at first.
    Voices. There were voices around her, but they had stopped. Where had they gone? Are they frightened of her? Did she look hideous? She felt hideous.
    Oh, goddess. What has become of