The Cursed Pharaoh's Bride

Chapter XXIII

Carolina 

It’s Sunday night. Charles is finally no longer staying in his car. He officially moved into the apartment facing mine across the street yesterday. I tried to offer him some help but he insisted that wasn’t necessary. I can tell he still feels weird around me, like he doesn't know how to act. He did spend a portion of the day on my couch while the movers brought his furniture into the apartment, which I consider progress. 

Tori is in my room helping me review some material for an upcoming test. We don’t have the same classes right now, but Tori has taken some classes that I’m currently taking right now, which is one of the many perks that comes with having her as my roommate. Just as we finish one topic, we hear a car honking on the street right outside my window. We ignore it for a moment, that is, until the honking starts again. 

Tori and I climb onto the fire escape to see what all the commotion is about. In the middle of the road stands a black Audi R8. The driver revs the engine as if trying to show off. “Damn, who does that guy think he is?” Tori says. 

I suddenly hear my phone ping. I open it to find a text from Elijah. ‘Do you think you can join me for a drive?’ 

“Um, I think that guy thinks he’s Elijah Seka because that’s exactly who’s in that car right now,” I reply warily. 

Tori’s jaw drops. “Elijah Seka is down there? Does that have anything to do with you, by any chance?” She asks. I give her a timid nod. A huge smile breaks out on her face before it quickly morphs into a smirk. 

“So, you’ve been seeing him, huh?” She teases as she jabs me with her elbow. 

“It’s not like that,” I protest, “Well, it’s really complicated.” 

Tori just wiggles her eye brows at me. “I would love to get complicated with a millionaire, Carol,” she states. “So, are you going to keep him waiting or are you going down there?”

Honestly, I don’t know what to think right now. I know I told Elijah I’d let him take me out for a drive, but I didn’t think he’d be spontaneous about it. Normally, I don’t like surprises. Yet, the thought of running off with him instead of being a good girl and staying home and studying feels almost exciting. What is that man doing to me?

“Would that be okay?” I ask. 

“You tell me,” Tori replies. 

I’m soon in a pair of fitted jeans , a hoodie and a pair of skater sneakers. My put my hair up in a bun before meeting Elijah, who is now leaning against his car expectantly. My eyes quickly rake over his tall form. He’s in a pair of fitted jeans of his own, a light sweater with a v-neck that accentuates his toned chest, and his leather jacket. His hair is a bit messy as if he’s been running his hand through it but it still looks unbelievably attractive. He completely shaved off his beard giving him a clean cut look. Something about seeing Elijah dress this casually makes him look even sexier, if possible. It doesn’t help that he’s looking at me with this twinkle in his bright blue eyes and a lopsided smirk. 

“It’s been a while, love,” he purrs. The sound of his voice sends a chill down my spine. It has been a while. 

“Where are we going?” I ask as I timidly step closer to him. I can’t help but gravitate towards him. It’s taking everything in me not to bury my head in his strong chest and let his arms engulf me in his warmth. Why does seeing him now make me feel like I’m seeing him for the first time all over again? It’s been a week yet it feels like forever and that doesn’t sit well with me for some reason. 

“We can go wherever you want,” he says, “as long as I’m the one who’s driving.”

“I’ve got some place in mind that you might like,” I say with a small smirk as he opens the car door for me like a gentleman. Everything about this car screams wealth, from its sleek design to its high class leather seats. Not to mention, it has that great new car smell.

Elijah revs the engine one more time before taking off down the street. He then turns up the radio loudly and I have to turn it down just a bit. “Sorry,” he says with a guilty smile, “Your modern music completely fascinates me.” In the moment, he almost seems like an innocent child and I can’t stop myself from smiling at him. I put in directions on my phone so Elijah could follow them to our destination. He takes a bit of a detour and takes us through midtown. The lights and LED signs on 42nd street flash brightly. Even at night, the city is bustling and full of life. 

“I never thought a city could look like this,” I hear Elijah mumble.

“What do you think of it?” I ask curiously. “By it, I mean all the skyscrapers and lights and technology.”

“It feels like a strange dream,” he admits, “Everything is so bright. It feels like it’s day time at night. The technology is almost like magic…”

He starts to drive us out of the city. As we cross the Brooklyn bridge, you can see the glimmering New York City skyline. Elijah parks not far from the bridge. He opens the door for me and extends a hand to me to help me out.

“What are we doing here?” He asks.

“I thought we could go for a late night stroll,” I reply as I pull him towards the Brooklyn bridge. The night is nice and cool. The cars moving below us create a slight breeze that rises upward towards those walking on the over-pass. There aren’t many people because it’s dark now so it’ll be easy for us to get some privacy. Elijah and I are just causally talking about anything and everything. I stop us when we make it to the midpoint of the bridge so we can look at the skyline. We both lean against the ledge.

“Are you serious? You own a company that makes computers and other smart devices. You’re telling me you still aren’t sure how to turn on the latest Seka tablet?” I giggle.

“It doesn’t have any large or obvious buttons! Most of our older models have a home button but our newer models don’t and I don’t understand why consumers find it so attractive,” he protests. “In my defense, I could only learn so much when I first awakened, and I think I’ve learned a lot.”

I can’t stop myself from laughing and Elijah just pouts adorably at me. “I’m just teasing,” I say. “Seeing you at work and watching you drive, I never would have guessed you’ve never experienced living in the modern world up until a few months ago. How did you learn everything?”

Elijah gives me a small smile as he shifts his large, warm body closer to mine until our arms were touching. I feel myself melt at the heat radiating off his body. “I wouldn’t say I learned everything. I’m still adjusting. All of this is so new to me and I’ve missed out on so much,” he admits, the tone in his voice softening ever so slightly. “When I first awoke, I experienced hyper growth and development—I’m still experiencing it, but it’s not as intense as it was during my first month of life. I found myself learning things at a rapid rate: languages, history, science, math, culture, you name it. I did not sleep once my first two weeks alive. I was glued to books and the internet and television. I wanted to catch up on everything because I didn’t understand the world around me. And after being dead for so long, what person wants to sleep? Lorenzo keeps reminding me to get enough hours of sleep as I start to adjust to my now living body.”

“So Lorenzo is the one who had all these resources for you? He was waiting for you, right?” I ask.

“Lorenzo was waiting for me, though he never really had a choice in that. He never specified what he did after I died but I know he must have struck a deal with one of the gods or meddled with some dark magic. Reincarnations are typically forbidden in order to keep bad people from existing longer than they should. Though, it seems like Lorenzo’s reincarnation cycle is tied to my awakening. He said something about no longer going through the pain of being reincarnated again now that I’m alive.

“And, yes, he arranged everything for me, but that’s nothing new. After seeing you in Egypt at that bar, I desperately wanted to be near you at all times. Lorenzo all but forced me into a plane out of the country. We stayed in Britain with a wealthy family that were generational members of the Eye. The eldest son of that family is actually your current body guard.”

“Y-you stayed with Charles’ family?” I stutter in shock.

“Yes, they were very hospitable,” he says while scratching his chin as if he were thinking deeply about something. “They are one of the minor shareholders in my company. They have a daughter that handles their finances and business. She is an excellent magic user. Maybe I can get her to teach you a thing or two the next time she visits.” Charles’ sister? She uses magic? Does that mean Charles can use magic, too? I’ve never seen him use any, though, not even when he was fighting Cohen. The idea of having her as my teacher makes me feel a little wary. Charles already has a problem with her and he must have some reason for it. Maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea for her to be my magic teacher.

“So you learned learned English in Britain, which I guess explains your accent,” I say, ignoring his comment about me learning magic.

Elijah nudges me playfully and gives me a smirk. “Sorry to break it to you love, but you’re the one with the accent.” I just shake my head at him, a smile finding its way on my face.

“You learned about all these things but you didn’t learn about movies?” I tease.

“I have yet to learn all of the social norms, but  there are a lot of them. To be fair, Lorenzo told me that I will pick that up as I get used to living here,” he defends. “So is it really my fault that I don’t understand movies or television or modern clothing.”

I let out a fake gasp. “You don’t understand fashion?” I ask dramatically.

Elijah chuckles. “It’s not the fashion per se. But there is so much variety now. And the clothes are so tight,” he says. I raise my brows at him. He’s complaining about clothes being too tight? I’ve only ever seen him in form fitting clothes so he must enjoy them. “Okay, I don’t hate the way clothes with a snug fit look on me. But some clothes leave little the imagination when it comes to women’s fashion. I’m glad you don’t seem to dress like that.”

I frown at that. “Why is that?” I question.

“Well, I don’t need other men enjoying my view. I have no problem with you dressing seductively if it’s for my eyes only,” he says nonchalantly. 

“I dress the way I dress for myself, not for anyone else. If I want to wear fitted clothes, I will. I don’t care if other guys look,” I huff defiantly. Elijah’s eyes find mine and they flash red for a moment.

“Well, I do care if other guys look,” he snaps.

“Another thing,” I cut in, “Charles told me how you ordered all men to not come within 6 feet of me as if I’m diseased or something!”

Elijah lets out a frustrated sigh. “I was not in the best state of mind when I made that order. Being away from you was painful. I was restless and hyper and easily provoked. Knowing that you were on a completely different continent doing gods know what was driving me crazy,” he explains.

“So you didn’t mean what you said at all, right? It’s fine for men to exist near me,” I clarify.

Elijah scratches the back of his neck, his lips morphing into a deep scowl. “Maybe I didn’t completely mean it but it’s still not a bad idea…”

I let out a frustrated sigh. “You’re unbelievable,” I hiss.

“Well, how would you feel if other women threw themselves onto me? Or if went to work with my shirt unbuttoned and interacted with my female coworkers?” 

The idea of Elijah being around other women just makes my already dampened mood worse, and Elijah seems to notice this. He attempts to reach his arm around me but I push him away so he wasn’t touching me anymore. Now I feel cold; the only thing keeping me warm is my silent anger. It’s not just jealousy that I feel when I think of him with someone else. I can’t help but feel some old emotions bubble up inside me again– feelings I hoped I would never feel again: inadequacy, embarrassment, shame.

“Don’t you dare insult me,” I whisper. “I’m the last person who would indulge another man’s attention when I’m already with someone else. I already know what it’s like to be cheated on.” I can feel my eyes start to become moist with tears.

I can feel Elijah’s warm hand gently grab my chin. He lifts up my gaze so it is meeting his concerned one. “What do you mean?” He asks.

I shifted my weight between my feet nervously. “I…had a boyfriend,” I mumble reluctantly. Elijah’s other hand, which is resting on the ledge of the bridge, contracts in anger. I can see he’s left a dent in the metal. He lets out a shaky breath, his eyes are now red with rage. He pulls his away from me. For some reason, I feel almost guilty. It feels like what I just said hurt him. 

Elijah runs his hands through his hair, his eyes avoiding mine. “Y-you had a boyfriend. That means you were in a romantic relationship with another man before me,” he mumbles in exasperation. 

“It’s not like you might think,” I say quickly. “We never did anything more than just kissing. We were young when we started dating, and it was really innocent at first.”

Elijah’s hands ball into fists. “That’s not helping, love,” he huffs. I put my hands firmly on his chest and bring my body as close to him as physically possible without actually coming into contact with him. Elijah’s arms automatically wrap around my shoulders and bring me close to him so my chest is flush to his abdomen. My head has now joined my hands at their place on his broad chest. Elijah buries his face in the crook of my neck.

“I promise that relationship was one that I wouldn’t call exclusively romantic. Ever since things ended, I find myself questioning if I even liked him romantically to begin with,” I say lowly. Elijah doesn’t respond, but his breath starts to become even, as if he’s calming down. I take that as my cue to continue talking.

“His name was David. He and I were friends throughout high school. We started dating during our senior year. It was puppy love-“ Elijah’s grip on me tights at the mention of the word “love”-“Everything was cute and sweet and innocent in the beginning. Things started to change when we started college. He didn’t want to introduce me to his new college friends. We still did things together but as time went on, it felt like he would try to get out of dates with me. I always told myself he was just busy with school since he goes to a different university than me. I started becoming busy since my major involves a lot of science classes. He used my busy schedule as an excuse to antagonize me. He said I didn’t have time for him and that I didn’t give him attention. But when I did take the time to be with him, all he wanted to do was make out. I know David wanted to go further in our relationship…physically…but I felt like he was rushing and I would always stop him…”

What sounds almost like a growl erupts from Elijah’s chest. “Did that bastard ever touch you in a way you didn’t want?” He hissed.

“He tried,” I whispered. “But like I said, I would always stop him. He never got far with me.

“One day I decided to surprise him and visit his dorm. I had finally manage to meet his roommate who had seemed nice enough. He lead me to their room and when he opened the door, I found David in bed with some other girl. I caught my boyfriend, someone I considered a close friend since high school, someone I trusted, in bed with some other girl. When he saw me there, he stopped and tried to explain himself but nothing he could’ve said would have changed my mind. I had gotten a good look at the girl. She was slim, had makeup done like a movie star. She was the type of girl who could have any guy just by giving him a look. But that isn’t the kind of girl that I am. No wonder David cheated. I wasn’t beautiful or sexy. I wasn’t someone he wanted to show off to his friends. I was just plain and ordinary—I still am-“

“That’s not true!” Elijah exclaims suddenly. He pulls me away just enough so he can look at my face. He uses his thumb to wipe away the tears that have managed to escape. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. That asshole who cheated on you doesn’t know what he’s missing. Everything about you is sexy. These curves…” He slides his hands down my waist, over my hips, pauses at my butt before they come back up again to my waist. “…these expressive eyes…” He gently removes my glasses before leaning down and his lips brush against my eyes, his mouth gently kissing away my remaining tears. “…this gorgeous, wild hair…” His fingers gently tug at the ends of my curly hair, causing a chill to run down my spine. “…this warm, delicious skin…” He moves back into the crook of my neck and tenderly presses his lips on my collar bone. My breath hitches. 

He pulls away so his eyes, which have turned back to their icy blue, are now bearing into mine. He drags his finger under my bottom lip and I hear him let out a small groan. “…these lips…” He leans in close, resting his forehead on mine. His lips just barely brush against mine, but he doesn’t go in any further. I can feel his hot breath fanning my face as if it were teasing me.

“Don’t stop,” I whisper. That is all it takes. Elijah immediately crashes his lips onto mine. My senses feel like they are on overload. I feel myself become overwhelmed by the feeling of him and his warmth consuming me completely. It makes me feel safe and cared for. Unlike the kiss we shared the night I was attacked, this kiss feels more gentle and almost tender. It feels warm but in a softer kind of way that makes my heart do summersaults. This kiss unfortunately doesn’t last as long as our first one, either. His kisses leave me wanting more, which is completely different than anything I’ve ever experienced with David.

Elijah is the one to pull away. I can’t completely fathom the look he’s giving me, but at the same time I still feel a bit dazed from the kiss so I doubt I can fathom much right now. He starts to put a bit of distance between us, and I miss his warmth immediately. “I’m sorry,” he says as he returns my glasses. “I couldn’t control myself. After hearing how that bastard hurt you, all I wanted to do was take that pain away.”

“It’s fine,” I say with a small smile. “I’m the one who told you to kiss me.”

A silence falls between us. We just stand there enjoying each other’s warmth, the feeling of our breaths mingling with each other. “What is the full name of that kid who had the audacity to disrespect you like that? I would like to have a conversation with him on how to treat a woman,” Elijah suddenly says through clenched teeth.

A giggle escapes my lips. “Don’t bother yourself with him,” I say. “We broke up like 9 months ago. He doesn’t mean anything to me. I just didn’t really want to rush into anything new after everything that happened between us.”

Elijah moves his hands from my waist and gently rubs my arms. “I understand,” he sighs. He pulls me into a hug, resting his chin on the top of my head.

“You know, you’re lucky I don’t dress skimpy,” I say with a small laugh. “I like dressing nice but I don’t like to wear anything that leaves me super exposed. I’m just not personally comfortable with getting unwanted attention from random guys. So, your possessiveness isn’t necessary.”

“I’m not possessive, just protective,” Elijah grumbles. I just smile, not bothering to argue with him about that.

I pull away from the hug. Elijah gives me these disappointed puppy dog eyes, but they melt away once I grab his hand and start tugging him back in the direction we initially came from. The conversation we have on our walk back stays light and a little playful. At no point does Elijah’s large, warm hand release my dainty one. Even when we’re in the car, driving back to my apartment, Elijah keeps his hand resting on my knee as we continue to casually chat. Being with him like this is starting to feel almost natural.

“Thanks for the ride,” I say after getting out of the car. I am standing outside his door, his window is open and he is leaning as far outward as he possibly can while still staying seated. “I wouldn’t mind doing that again sometime.”

Elijah flashes me a bright smile. “I’d love to do this again. Next time I’ll pick the destination. I have a nice place upstate that we could spend a weekend at,” he says.

He and I spending the weekend somewhere? Alone? Like a trip? Are we even ready for that? I bite my lip nervously, which makes Elijah laugh. “We don’t have to do that any time soon, darling,” he reassures, “But maybe one day?”

I give him a shy nod. We exchange a good bye and a good night before I turn around and start walking towards my apartment building. I then pause for a second before turning around and facing Elijah. He raises his brows at me in question.  I quickly walk back to him, lean into the car, and place a quick peck on his lips. I can feel my face heat up as I pull away and quickly turn back around. I can’t bring myself to look at his reaction.

“I’ll talk to you later,” I say before speed walking into my building. I can hear tires screech, signifying that Elijah just left. Once I make it into my apartment, I press my back against the door and slide down it while letting out a breath I don’t realize I’m holding in. My head snaps towards the living room. Lying in the loveseat is Tori, who has a mug in her hand. She’s giving me an all knowing smirk that just makes me blush harder.

“Girl, spill the tea.”