The Demon of Egypt: Imhotep's Story by Amber Riel (reading an ebook TXT) 📕

heard you’re conversation with my uncle at the ball and I think you should reconsider if you really want Nala as your wife. She needs a man who is stronger than she is… physically. I’m not trying to say that you’re weak but we saiyans are far more powerful than you humans are and because Nala enjoys murdering people for the fun of it… it’s just not a good idea for a human to mate with someone like her.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. I faked a smile to show Tommus that I wasn’t afraid. “I love her,” the words made me feel uncomfortable to say but I continued to go on with my lie. “I know it’s crazy and sounds ridiculous but I just can’t get her out of my head.” In a way I wasn’t lying but love had nothing to deal with it. “She just needs someone to show her how to love and maybe she’ll eventually understand the difference.”

Tommus took a moment to see if I was lying but he didn’t call my bluff. “Alright, if you love her that much then go for it.” If he knew I was lying, he didn’t say anything to make me feel like he was onto me.

 

The Right Moment

The thought popped into my head that I should talk to the pharaoh, now that he knew who I made him believe I had my eyes on. Other humans were easy to fool but it was Nala I would have to pull the wool over. The one way to do it was to have her father suggest that I wanted her hand in marriage. It was the prefect scheme. I wandered all over the palace until I found him in the throne room, leaning back on his throne.

          “Ah, Imhotep,” Ramos spoke with a pleasant smile and stood up to greet me. “I’m pleased that out of all of the eligible young women, you have chosen my daughter to be your wife.”

          I smiled. “I’m thankful that you are willing to accept my choice. I mean she is your daughter and after all I’ve watched her grow up to be a lovely young lady.” The last part of my sentence made me feel like my stomach acid was burning the inside of my throat. Lovely was the last word I would have never thought I would use when I described Nala. She wasn’t lovely one bit. She was a far from lovely. Out of all of the words I would normally use would have been monster or demon or evil creature sent by the gods to destroy the world as we knew it. “I have grown to love her.”

          “I’m pleased to hear,” Ramos replied.

          Not a minute too soon, Nala walked into the room. It was almost like she had known to show up. I noticed that Ramos had turned his attention toward Nala and he still kept his smile. Nala eyed us out of confusion. Ramos gestured for her to come over to us. I smiled and bowed.

          Nala watched me and I knew that she was trying to figure out what was going on in my head. Her eyes locked with mine and she stared at me.

          “Nala,” Ramos’s voice was filled with joy, “Imhotep wants to ask you something.”

          “What?” Nala asked me, with suspicion in her voice.

          “Would you…” I took a moment to choose the right words before continuing, “Have the honor of becoming my bride?”

          She took a moment to come to turns with what had just been asked. “I accept,” her answer threw me off guard. I wasn’t expecting her to actually agree.

          I stared at her in shock and my heart began pounding. She couldn’t have figured out what my intention was. At least not that fast. I knew she wasn’t stupid but I didn’t think she could read through people that quickly.

          Ramos clasped his hands together. “Two weddings to plan for,” he spoke happily. It was obvious that he had no clue that Nala was my worst enemy.

          Nala’s half smile was a warning to me. It was her way of letting me know that she was onto what I had planned and she was willing to do anything to destroy me.

          Ramos left us alone.

          “Why did you accept?” I asked with anger in my voice.

          Nala laughed with an evil delight. “Oh my…. You didn’t think I would catch on…. Did you?”

          I stared her. I felt my blood boil with anger.

          I watched the princess turn to one side. “You see I’m not stupid. I really hate that you humans underestimate me. I know that you’re just using me as a way to get to her,” she told me. “And this way I can catch you in the act…. And when I do….” I was stunned that she made herself cry. “I could let out the tears and make my father believe that I was so in love with you were as he was in love with her and…. And I could convince him that I need to see you before you die so I could cry to you.”

          I dropped my mouth in anger and surprise at how quickly she had figured everything out and how she might actually pull off the act if I slipped up. I was going to have to keep an eye on her for a while.

          “That way when no one else in the family is around…. I could watch you die and believe me,” she continued to speak with a smile, “I will enjoy it. Besides, if I get hungry, I could always sneak off to see my man to eat….” She turned back toward me and we locked eyes again. “You really should have thought this through…. But then again you are human and none of you humans are that smart.”

          I couldn’t take my eyes off her and it took me a little while to figure out how to respond to her threat. Without thinking, I wrapped my hand around her slender small neck. “You evil little brat,” was all I could say. I knew she wasn’t afraid because she was stronger than I was but I didn’t know what else to do.

          “That’s no way to speak to your bride to be,” she mocked. “You really shouldn’t be strangling me either, moron.” Nala grabbed my arm and removed my hand from her neck. “Seriously? How stupid are you?”

          “No wonder no man wants to marry you….” I knew the words affected her but she seemed to shrug the pain off. “You’re an evil demon brat.”

          She began to laugh. “Actually, you want to marry me…. Remember?”

          I couldn’t believe that she had quickly recovered and used the scene from earlier against me. She knew me a little too well. I felt like an open scroll by how quickly she caught on. I needed to watch myself and needed to keep an eye on her. Damn, that brat’s onto me already, I thought with anger.

 

 

          I paced down the hallway toward my room when someone touched my arm. I turned to see Madeline, the pharaoh’s niece. Her sad brown eyes locked with mine. “I heard about the proposal,” she spoke softly. “Are you sure you want to put yourself in that kind of danger?”

          I faked a smile. “Yes, I mean I love Nala with all of my heart-”

          “It’s just none of the other men are willing to get near her. She’s evil.”

          “I know who I’m dealing with.”

          “You may think you know her but, Imhotep, she will kill you within minutes for no reason if she wanted to.”

          “Lady Madeline, I assure you that everything will be fine. All she needs is a little bit of love and she’ll be a new woman.”

          “They call her a demon.”

          “Excuse me?” I asked as if I had no clue what the young lady was talking about.

          “It’s true. They all call her a demon… our people and the Hebrews. She doesn’t even try to act human. About the only time she makes an appearance is when she doesn’t want us humans to think that for one brief moment she’s weak.”

          “Your cousin is quite something but like I said-”

          Eva appeared behind Madeline and shook her head with disappointment. “The child is right, Imhotep,” she whispered.

          “Lady Madeline, I know what I’m getting myself into. Why are you so worried?” I asked.

          “Because all of us humans should stay as far away from Nala as possible… it doesn’t matter how much you love her. She’s not human and she’s highly dangerous,” Madeline replied.

          “You need to think this through.” Eva walked over to me. It was obvious that Madeline couldn’t see her so when I replied I had to make it sound as though I was talking to Madeline.

          “I understand and thank you for your concern but I know what I’m doing,” I answered.

          “Okay.” Madeline left without another word.

          When she was gone, I turned my attention toward the spirit. “Why do you keep appearing? And only to me?”

          “Grim tells me that it’s important to try to knock some sense into you,” Eva replied.

          “Why doesn’t he come then?”

          “His job deals with death; you can’t expect him to show up constantly.”

          “Okay then why can’t anyone else see you? Why don’t you show your face to Nala?”

          “She was only an infant when you had me murdered. She doesn’t know my face or my voice and as far as everyone else goes you need to start growing a conscience.”

          I smiled a little. “Sorry I don’t feel guilty. It was only orders.”

          “Only orders? She will be your undoing if you don’t watch yourself. By the way, falling for another man’s bride-to-be isn’t a smart move either.”

          “Antinique doesn’t love him.”

          “So? What was it that Grim told you earlier? You’re playing with fire?” Eva asked.

          “Leave me alone, you cursed spirit.”

          “I will remember this.” Eva vanished without another word.

          I took a deep breath and sighed.

 

 

          Later that night, I had decided to go to bed early. The events from the day played in my mind until I finally fell asleep. I stood in front of Antinique holding a dagger in my hand and held it up to her. “Tonight you are to use this against Ramos. Let him drift off to sleep and then push the blade into his head,” I told Antinique.

          She smiled and grabbed the hilt of the dagger. “It’ll be easy but what about Nala or Niki?” she asked.

          “I’ll deal with them. You worry about your husband-to-be.”

          She nodded.

          We leant toward each other and kissed. When you pulled away, I realized that Nala was the one standing in front of me instead. Fresh blood dripped out of her mouth. There was no evidence on her face of any cuts. I looked around with panic. “Where’s Antinique?” I asked.

          Nala laughed evilly.

          “Where’s Antinique?” I asked again.

          “I killed her,” she replied, licking the blood from her upper lip. “She was tasty.” She held up a human bone. “You’re next.”

          I backed away slowly, keeping my eyes on