Blood of the Nile (16 page)

“I don’t like this
plan of yours, Maliyah. It puts you at further risk and I’m not comfortable
with that,” Ramses said as he nervously clasped his hands. “We should take your
mother’s advice and go to the police.”

“No! I’m the only
person that can draw Shahad out into the open. You said so yourself. I’m simply
reiterating the claim you made to Husani.” Maliyah was frustrated.
At the end of her wits.
This was their one chance to end the
nightmare her uncle had orchestrated. She refused to cower and hide until Shahad
decided to strike.

“That’s true. I
said that. But that was before…” Ramses stopped in mid-sentence, unable to
complete his thought.

“Before
what?”

“Before
us!”
He shouted, pushing away from the table and
stomping out of the restaurant.

For a few moments,
Maliyah sat there staring at her lover’s back as he stormed away.
Stunned by his admission.
Then, her gaze returned to the
couple seated across from her, anticipating their reply.
“Fine.
I’ll set everything up,” Andreas said, as he stretched his arms,
then
laced his fingers together at the base of his skull.
“Now go find Ramses before he rips some unsuspecting tourist to shreds.”

“Thanks.” Maliyah
leaned over and kissed both dinner guests on the cheek. “I’ll be in touch.”

Chapter Eighteen

The Claiming

Ramses sensed the exact
moment his lover sashayed into the hotel bar on the balls of her platform heels.
He didn’t have to see her face or hear her voice. He simply felt her presence.
It was as if his soul had recognized its other half. Still, his anger continued
to fester like an open wound. He couldn’t fathom the idea of Maliyah purposely
putting herself in the line of fire. He didn’t know how or when the thought of
it had becomes so inhospitable, but it had. Hell, he was the one who had
convinced her to travel to Elephantine in the first place. Nonetheless, the
trap she’d set for Shahad caused his hostility to boil over to the point of
rage. Undeniably, lack of sustenance had exacerbated his predilection for violence.
Over the last week, he’d neglected his needs, afraid to scare off his human
companion with the brunt of his ravenous thirst. Survival instincts started to
kick in, which didn’t bode well for those in his path. A hungry vampire on a
mission to protect his mate wasn’t a pretty sight.

Within seconds,
Maliyah came up behind him and cleared her throat. Ramses did his best to
ignore her, instead opting to swallow another swig of his drink, this time an
expensive aged whiskey. He’d ordered the strong stuff possible to dull his
desire to kill and maim. If he gave into his proclivities, he’d slash the
bartender’s throat, guzzle down his blood, then throw Maliyah over his shoulder
and lock her up in a cave somewhere.

Maliyah must have
realized his fury had reached a level at which he could scarcely regulate. Her
perceptive nature caught Ramses off guard. Rather than hem and haw at him for
stomping out of the restaurant, she knew better than to incite him further.
Instead, she tangled her fingers in the mane of curls at the nape of his neck and
massaged the hair follicles there.

“It’s our last
night on this beautiful island,” she whispered hoarsely into his ear. “I don’t
want to fight.”

Suddenly, the
anger Ramses felt had dissipated. But the thirst
remained,
a desire that only Maliyah had the power to quench. Only her blood would
suffice. Certainly, she’d seen the raw, animalistic hunger in his eyes. Without
a word, she took a step back and started to walk away. She sauntered from one
end of the hotel lobby to the other, never once looking back to ensure he had
followed. Like him, she just knew he was there.

It wasn’t until
they were both securely ensconced in the elevator alone, that Maliyah finally
turned to face him. Neither of them hesitated. They didn’t even take the time
to press the emergency button to halt the elevator between floors. In a
heartbeat, their limbs were entwined, touching, kissing, and tasting one
another. Ramses hiked the denim skirt she wore clear up past her hips and
unzipped his trousers. No need to wait since his cock already stood at attention,
hard as steel. He’d been in a perpetual state of arousal all night long.

“I need you,
Ramses,” Maliyah groaned between kisses.

“I need you, too.”
Ramses thrust inside her the instant the last syllable escaped his lips. He had
her pressed up against the cool glass that lined the walls of the elevator and
pierced her blistering heat. Over and over, he penetrated her core. At the same
time, his lover’s legs encircled his narrow hips. Her hands clung to his
shoulders, holding on for dear life.

Ramses flung one
side of her leather bolero jacket to the side. The motion exposed the swell of
her breasts over the lace tank top she wore. He picked up the pace of their
lovemaking, letting his cock pound inside of her. The rhythm was so wildly
uninhibited; it raced at the same tempo of his lover’s beating heart. His claws
extended. They etched deep grooves into the surface of the mirrored glass. Then
his canines shot out of his gums, exerting their own guttural demands.

On the verge of
ejaculation, Ramses could no longer hold back an orgasm. He needed to feed and
Maliyah no doubt needed to come. He knew that one sure-fire method to ensure
his lover’s pleasure would be to siphon blood from her vein. Bending his head
to her chest, he bit down with his incisors, and tore a small gape into her left
breast.

Instantaneously,
Maliyah let out a gasp. Liquid from her pussy drizzled onto the hand that Ramses
kept on her ass to ensure neither of them lost their grip. Through his cotton
dress shirt, he felt her teeth clamp down on his shoulder to stifle a scream. Her
fingernails dug into the skin on the underside of his biceps as he filled her
with his seed. White-hot semen poured out of him until finally, Ramses lifted
his head and kissed her.
Passionately.
Desperately.
Not the least bit concerned that the taste of
her blood still lingered on his lips.

Before long,
Maliyah’s strength seemed to wane. Her limbs flailed like dead weight and
Ramses knew he needed to get her back to the suite. Again, he’d taken too much
blood. But he couldn’t help himself; he’d waited too long to feed. Ramses
dragged his tongue over the pinpricks he’d made and initiated the healing
process, then carried his mate to the hotel room. Once he forced her to drink a
bottle of water, he ordered her to lie down and relax. Perhaps read a juicy
romance novel or watch some television.

“It’s barely ten
o’clock. What do you have planned for the rest of the night?” Maliyah looked up
at him, doe-eyed and eager to please. Was she ready for round two so soon?

“Since my mate
insists on following through with some crazy scheme to give away her many millions,
I thought I’d email a friend of mine who works at the
Egyptian Daily News
and set up a press conference.” Ramses combed a
hand through his damp locks, resigned to the fact that the strong-willed woman
he’d come to adore wouldn’t budge on her stance. “I’ve got no choice in the
matter.”

“So now I’m your
mate, huh?” Maliyah giggled softly.

“Always
have been.
I just took my time in claiming you.”

***

In addition to
making love to Ramses a handful of glorious times, the train ride from Aswan to
Cairo had been surprisingly productive. Ramses heard back from his contact at
the
Egyptian Daily News
and a press
conference had been scheduled at the local art museum for the day after next.
Andreas also spoke with the curator of the MET, a woman by the name of Louise Reynolds,
who helped coordinate the establishment of an endowment at the New York-based museum.
But before Maliyah could finalize the transactions, she needed to return to
Cairo. She still had to hear the details of Anwar’s will. Her cousins already confirmed
that his solicitor had delivered the documents and would be waiting to reveal
their contents as soon as she arrived home. Once everything was in order in
that respect, she could confide in Salma and Husani and give them the
devastating truth about their father.

While the last
several days proved to be an emotional roller coaster, Maliyah relished the
time she spent alone with Ramses. They had both let down their guard and the
interactions between them seemed natural, unrehearsed. He’d even called her his
mate. That was a big step in and of
itself
.
Although in all honestly, Maliyah had no idea what that meant.

There was no
discussion of the future or anything even remotely related to what might happen
once the drama with her uncle had been resolved. Could she give up her career
and stay in Egypt? Would she? She wasn’t even sure he’d put up with her
free-willing American antics for the long haul. And Maliyah wasn’t certain she
could marry someone like Ramses. One day she’d grow old, while he would
maintain the facade of perpetual youth. What about children? She desperately
wanted them and according to Ramses, procreation between a human and a vampire
held zero chance of coming to fruition.

Even still, at
least as far as Maliyah was concerned, surrendering to love was inevitable.
She’d wanted this man since the age of nine. The only question was
,
did he want her just as much? Would he be willing to
compromise? Of course, she’d have to wait and see how it all panned out.
Nonetheless, her instincts told her that Ramses was the one.

“Stop thinking so
much, Maliyah.”

“Sorry I’m being
so quiet. I don’t mean to be a bore.” Maliyah twitched as she crossed, then uncrossed
her legs nervously. She hoped like hell that the faraway look in her eyes
hadn’t given away too much. While thoughts of Ramses had preoccupied nearly
every waking moment of consciousness since they’d left Elephantine, she knew
that now wasn’t the time to have “the talk.” Not when a killer still roamed the
streets.

“You aren’t a
bore. But I need you stay focused on the task at hand.” Ramses tossed their
bags into the trunk of the waiting limousine. Then, he took Maliyah by the hand
and led him into the backseat. His palm grazed her bare skin, making it tingle
with unsolicited desire. One caress was all it took.

Maliyah leaned in
and purred in her lover’s ear. “Mr.
Shakir
, you make
it rather difficult for a woman to keep her wits about her.”

Ramses frowned. He
squared Maliyah’s shoulders and squeezed firmly to emphasize the importance of
what he had to say. “From here on out, we’ve
gotta
be
extremely cautious. Shahad is dangerous. If he senses we’re the least bit distracted,
he’ll see it as a weakness and pounce.”

Maliyah jerked out
of his grasp, summoned back to reality by her lover’s somber declaration. She
sank into the seat cushions and poured two glasses of ice-cold water, one for
each of them. “It’s your fault! Keep touching me
like
that and we’ll both find
to
difficult to
concentrate.”

 
“Point well
taken,
habibti
. I’ll try to keep my distance.”

For the remainder
of the drive from the train station to Anwar’s home, the two of them sat on
separate ends of the limousine. They worked together to pen the speech Maliyah
would present the following evening. Each word had been meticulously crafted to
reel in Shahad, and persuade him to take the bait. With phrases such as “Aziz
Family Endowment for the Arts,” and “multi-million dollar monetary contribution,”
her uncle was sure to make a move.

Ramses was right
though; she had to stay on her toes. Focused and ruled by restraint. Romance
needed to play second fiddle to the safety of her family and the perseverance
of her father’s legacy, a fact that had been underscored all the more when they
arrived on Anwar’s doorstep. Once inside the house, they spied Salma and Husani
huddled next to each other in the dining room with the family attorney, Omar
Hussein, at the head of the table.

Maliyah plopped
down in an empty chair as the lawyer proceeded to outline the dispersal of her
father’s assets aloud.

I, Anwar al Aziz, of Cairo, Egypt, being of sound body and mind do
hereby declare that this document is my last
willand
testament…I bequeath my business, Aziz Import/Export Ltd., and all of my personal
property including my homes in Cairo, Miami, and New York, as follows:

Maliyah Aziz - 50% share

Husani
Aziz
 
-
25% share

Salma Aziz
  
- 25% share

“Uncle Anwar’s
generosity is an honor. But my sister and I cannot accept it,” Husani said,
shaking his head in protest. “We don’t deserve it. His estate rightfully
belongs to Maliyah.”