The Cursed Pharaoh's Bride

Chapter XX

Carolina 

I let out a groan as I stretch out my body, finally waking up from the best dream ever. I don’t think I’ve ever woken up this refreshed in my entire life. I suddenly shoot up from my bed, glancing around the room. Elijah isn’t here. For whatever reason, the thought of waking up without him near by makes me feel a pang of hurt in my chest. 

I shake my head. We’re just on better terms for right now. That’s all. My face then heats up at the thought of the kiss we shared last night. That was just a moment a weakness, right? It’s not like we’ll do that again soon. We’re not dating or anything. Somehow I don’t really like the thought of that. Especially since no one has ever kissed me the way Elijah kissed me. Not even my last boyfriend. 

No. The kiss was just a spur of the moment situation. I must have still been feeling the fear and adrenaline from getting attacked, and I was just feeling comfort in knowing that Elijah had been one of the people to save me. It’s not like I actually would’ve kissed him otherwise, right?

I manage to pull my mind away from the kiss long enough to go through everything that happened leading up to that moment. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought of Professor Cohen. When I confronted him on the school campus, he must have figured out who I was to Elijah. But how? Did he know about me since the trip in Egypt? And if he did, why did he wait to come after me now? We’ve been back in the city for almost three months. 

Then there’s Charles. I glance out my window and notice a familiar black car parked across the street. He’s still here. Since meeting him, it was pretty obvious that he came off as…overly confident. I never would have thought he actually acted beneath anyone. What are the chances the person he acts under is Elijah? Did he know about me since Egypt, too?

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of my phone buzzing. The message is from none other than Elijah. 

‘Good morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?’

My heart skips a beat and I hesitate before replying. ‘I feel a lot better than I did these past three days.’

His response is immediate. ‘So do I. I hope you enjoyed last night’s sleep as much as I did.’ I feel my face heat up. Curse him for being able to feel my feelings. He probably even knows I was dreaming about him. 

He then sends me another text saying, ‘I still haven’t gotten my license yet but I was wondering if you could meet me today. Perhaps for lunch?’

I let out a nervous breath. Should I? A part of me feels like seeing him again is not a good idea. I mean, I was just attacked a few hours ago just because this secret society believes I’m his soulmate. But then there’s this other part of me that wouldn’t mind seeing him again. Especially after that kiss. That part of me must be crazy. 

‘Is it even safe for me to be near you right now? I thought we had to lay low.’

Elijah doesn’t respond so I take that as my cue to get out of bed and leave my phone for a while. After getting my basic morning routine out of the way, I walk into the kitchen and find Tori brewing some coffee. I gladly pull out a mug for myself and not so subtly place it next to hers so she can pour me some. 

Tori shakes her head but smiles to herself. “How are you feeling?” she asks. 

“I’m feeling a lot better,” I say as I pull out a pan and the carton of eggs from the fridge. 

“That’s good,” she mumbles as she starts helping me get—what is essentially now brunch—ready. “You look well rested. I hope that means that date with Jay went well.” She wiggles her brows suggestively at me. 

“It wasn’t a date,” I laugh. “His friends showed up so whatever you’re thinking happened didn’t happen at all. But it was fun hanging out...and I all but fell asleep as soon as I got home...” I trail off quietly at the end, trying not to think about what happened after the movies. 

“Did something else happen?” Tori asks. 

“No, not really,” I say nonchalantly. My mind then goes to Elijah and Charles in our apartment. And then there was Alexa who saw Elijah. Oh, what a mess! Hopefully Alexa won’t bring him up. 

“Where is Alexa, by the way?” I try to ask innocently. Tori just raises a brow at me. 

“I think she’s in her room. But I doubt she’ll come out for a couple of hours. She walked into the apartment like around 5 in the morning,” Tori explains, “I heard her tripping over the furniture. She totally woke me up. Didn’t you hear her?”

“I guess not,” I say with a shrug. Was I really that deep in my dream last night? I let out a small sigh of relief. At least I won’t have to deal with a sober or non-hungover Alexa for a while. If I go visit Elijah, I can avoid her all together...

Tori and I finish eating breakfast and clean up the dirty dishes. Tori then leaves to get ready for some errands she has to do today. Knowing her, she’ll be spending this weekend studying. 

I walk back into my room to find that Elijah still hasn’t messaged me back. I don’t even think he’s read my message. I glance out my window in disappointment. I soon find myself looking at the car Charles is currently sitting in. Maybe he can give me some answers. 

I change into casual street wear before going into the kitchen. I wrap up the left overs from breakfast and heading to the black car parked across the street from my building. 

I lightly tap on the driver’s window, trying to get his attention. Charles glances at me but then otherwise ignores me. I tap on the window again. He gives me another glance before trying to wave me off with a “shooing” motion. I let out a frustrated huff before knocking on the window again while lifting up the back of food I’ve packed for him. Charles finally rolls down his window, albeit with an annoyed expression on his face. 

“Could you make my job appear any more discrete, your highness?” He says dryly. 

“First of all, don’t call me ‘your highness’. It’s weird,” I snap. I then push the food I brought him through the car window. “Second of all, I bring you some brunch.”

Charles raises his brows at me in surprise and stares at the bag that’s hanging in front of him. He just keeps looking at me somewhat stoically without saying anything without doing much else. 

“Well, what are you waiting for? Take it,” I insist. He continues to say nothing before his eyes move towards mine. For a moment, I notice his eyes harden like he’s glaring before his expression goes blank. 

“That’s not necessary,” he finally says before pushing the food back towards me. When he does, I notice he’s no longer wearing the leather outfit he wore last night. I glance into the car and see a duffle bag in the back seat and what also seems like take out bags. 

“If you’re not hungry right now, it’s fine,” I respond, “But at least take the food to eat later. Unless of course, you’re going leave your post when you said you were going to guard me.” 

Charles glances at the food before giving me a frown. “If I take the food, will you leave?” He asks. 

I pause for a second before pouting slightly. “If you take the food, I’ll leave you alone, for now,” I sigh. 

He quickly snatches the food from my grip before quickly rolling up his car window. “Wait, why are you trying to get rid of me?” I ask. 

Charles pauses, leaving his window slightly cracked open. “I’m just here to guard you, nothing more. And you talking to me only further draws attention. Why don’t you go back to your bedroom? It’ll be easier for you to stay out of trouble in there,” he snaps before shutting the window. 

He quickly turns away so he doesn’t see the glare I’m shooting him. I move to go back to my apartment building but stop in my track when I receive a text message. It’s from Elijah. 

‘It’s safe for you to meet me if it’s at the company HQ. It’s one of my most heavily guarded facilities. Have Charles drive you here.’

I turn back around and press my phone screen against Charles’ window. He glances at my phone before rolling down my window. He does nothing to hide the glare he’s shooting my device. 

After grabbing a bag and letting Tori I was leaving, I find myself sitting in the passenger seat of Charles’ car. He proves not to be much of a conversationalist during the drive to Seka Crop. HQ, though. 

“Charles,” I start, though he doesn’t seem to acknowledge me, “How is it that you ended up in Egypt? Were you looking for Elijah?” 

I notice his grip on the steering wheel tightens for a second. He opens his mouth as if he is going to speak but then closes it. Instead he just nods. So yes to looking for Elijah?

“So you were looking for him,” I state. “So this Eye organization knew where to find him? What would you have done if you found his un-resurrected body? Did you have any idea that I would be able to...you know?”

Charles lets out a scoff. “I doubt anybody could’ve imagined that you of all people would be a queen...” he mutters under his breath. Ouch. He probably thinks I can’t hear him but I did. I just stay silent after hearing that comment. I can’t help but wonder if Charles doesn’t like me, which doesn’t make sense because I barely know the guy. 

We soon make it into the garage of the company building. Charles and I are let into the building with ease. He leads me through the building towards Elijah’s office. Though, for whatever reason, Charles keeps a good couple of feet between us. He does this when he walks in front of me and even when we get in the elevator. I try to walk faster to catch up with him but he picks up his own pace as if he’s trying to keep a distance. 

Once we make it onto Elijah’s floor, we see Lorenzo walking out of Elijah’s office. The look he gives us is one of pure disbelief mixed with panic and annoyance. “What are you doing here?” He asks as he quickly walks up to us, blocking us from going to Elijah’s office. 

“Elijah said I could meet him for lunch and that I could meet him here,” I explain with my arms crossed over my chest. I raise my brows at Lorenzo. What is up with him? He always seems to be so straight forward and kind of serious. 

He has a firm grip on my arm as he pulls me back into the elevator, Charles following behind us. “If you’re here for lunch, you’re early. El is busy and I don’t need you distracting him,” he says. 

He leads us to the floor below Elijah’s. The layout was identical to the floor above. But I guess that’s to be expected since Lorenzo is the COO. “You two can stay in my office until El’s meeting is over and then you can go do whatever it is you want to him. Believe me, he won’t mind.”

He drags me into his office but Charles stops at the office door, not coming into the room with us. Lorenzo glances back with him. He gives him an unamused look. “Oh come on,” he drawls, “You don’t have to do that because she’s here.” What is that supposed to mean?

Charles seems to hesitate before he comes into the office. We are ushered into a seating area, with Charles keeping a slight distance away from Lorenzo and I. 

“I see that you work under Elijah both metaphorically and literally,” I say while glancing around Lorenzo’s office. I notice the corners of his lips twitch upward at my comment. 

“You don’t have to say it like that,” he says with a lopsided grin. “The man is my best friend, nothing more. Rest assured, he’s all yours.”

“That’s not what I meant!” I snap, an embarrassed blush creeping up on my cheeks. After calming down a bit, I calmly ask Lorenzo another question. “What is Elijah doing right now?” 

“He’s in a meeting with a board of directors for one of our departments. He doesn’t know you’re here right now, and I’d like to keep it that way,” he responds. 

“And why is that?”

“Because when it comes to boring corporate work, El gets distracted easily. To make matters worse, you’re the only thing he can seem to focus on when he does get distracted now a days.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I mumble under my breath. It seems like he heard me though because he gives me this strange look before letting out a sigh. 

“It’s not a bad thing,” he starts, “In fact, you awakening him on that trip to Egypt couldn’t be more perfect. You’re the reason he’s alive after all, and I’m grateful. But I’m not a big fan of how much time is being wasted with all this melodrama.”

“Melodrama?” I ask, a little offended. 

He gives me a pointed look. “We have worked so hard to establish something for El-Hasekrah to have when he returned. He has the capacity to be powerful here. But he’s too busy chasing after his soulmate to be able to focus on or even enjoy anything else,” he says almost accusingly. 

I cross my arms over my chest and turn my nose up in defiance. “Are you trying to imply that everything that you deem wrong with Elijah is my fault now?” I snap. 

Lorenzo glares at me before sighing. “Of course not,” he replies. His expression and tone suddenly soften considerably. “Just go easy on him, okay? He has no more control over everything that’s happen right now than you do.” 

I let my shoulders sag a bit. I guess I never thought of it that way. “So, you guys had no idea I would be going on that trip to Egypt. Wait, how do you know about that trip?” I ask, attempting to change the subject. 

“I had a hand in arranging it,” Lorenzo says. “We had a see-er that was finally able to pinpoint where his body would be found. We also had knowledge that one of Set’s followers would be on that trip, we just didn’t know who it was. In response I sent Charles as well as another older member of the Eye. You’re familiar with her—Dr. Jones.” 

I nearly jump out of my seat in surprise. “Dr. Jones is one of you?!” I exclaim. 

“Well, yes,” Lorenzo replies calmly. “And what are the chances she would bring you with her? Talk about fate.” I sink back down in my seat. My mentor is part of this crazy world? She acted like she didn’t know Elijah or Lorenzo when she met them in the lab. I still can’t believe it. How much does she know about me and Elijah? How much has she kept from me after our trip to Egypt? 

Lorenzo clears his throat, bringing me out of my thoughts. “It seems, you didn’t know that until now,” he says warily. 

“That’s nothing new,” I say, “I still don’t really know much about what’s happening, not even after being put in danger and getting attacked.” 

Lorenzo and Charles share a look for a moment before Lorenzo turns to me. “There’s a lot to learn, so it will take some time,” he finally says. “I can answer any question you might have now, if you want. It’s not like we have any reason to hide anything since you’ve already encountered the Dark Sand Society.”

I stay quiet for a second, thinking over what I want him to tell me. There’s so much I don’t know about these societies or Elijah. “You said you’re Elijah’s best friend. How did you two meet? And how are you still alive? Are you cursed too?”

Lorenzo seems taken aback by my question. He lets out a fake cough to hide his surprise. “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard that El-Hasekrah had to fight seven beasts. His first was an offspring of Apep, a giant serpent of chaos. When I was a young teen my village was invaded by Apep’s offspring. Because of the beast, my village was plagued by storms and earthquakes for years. Many men went out in search for the beast in attempt to slay it but they would never come back. 

"I had trained for years, hoping I’d be strong enough to take on the beast and free my village. When I turned 18, I set out to fight the serpent. I could have died fighting that thing, had El-Hasekrah not saved me. I’ve been with him ever since then. That is until the coup, of course.” He seems to stiffen at the mention of Elijah’s death. 

He continues, “In terms of being cursed, I guess you can say that I am. I’m not like El, though. I’m a reincarnation of my former ancient Egyptian self. I’ve been waiting for him to return.”

“So you two were close and since the day he...passed...you’ve been waiting for him. Is that why you fuss over him so much?” I ask somewhat innocently. 

“I don’t fuss over him,” Lorenzo deadpans.  I can’t help but grin at his unamused reaction. 

“Well you’re always worried about what he does or doesn’t do. If he gets his work done or if he’s distracted over me. You’re like a mother hen,” I tease. Lorenzo scowls and gets a bit flustered. 

“I was his advisor when he became pharaoh!” He protests. “If you had to deal with everything I’ve had to deal with, you’d act the same way.” 

“I will admit, I did give you hard time every now and then,” a deep voice says playfully. We turn behind us to find Elijah walking into Lorenzo’s office. “I wouldn’t say he’s a mother hen though. He’s more like an annoying but responsible older brother.” 

Elijah’s eyes immediately land on me. The sexy smirk he’s wearing stretches out into a broad lopsided grin. He walks over to me gently strokes my cheek with his long fingers. “Hello, love,” he purrs.