Give yourself, as you know you wish. Destroy all that binds you.
The intrusive voice filled her thoughts, and Onora moaned as Seton brushed the hair at the crux of her body.
She parted her thighs, hating herself asshe welcomed his finger where she was wet. He found her most sensitive part, rubbing lightly there with the pad of his thumb. She whimpered pitifully, distraught at this public display, yet at the mercy of her need.
All the while, the women continued to touch her.
One—Maria, surely—bent low, and Onora caught a glimpse of the marking upon her breast. There could be no doubt; it was a scarab, like that inked upon the skin of Madame Auvray, of the Reverend’s wife and Seton.
“He’s going to take you while everyone watches, but you can be sure,Ishall havehimnext!” She gave Onora’s nipple a callous tweak. “You want to please him, don’t you? Whatever he asks, he’ll expect you to obey, High Priestess or not!”
The words struck home.
Maria was cruel, but she spoke the truth. Seton was a sadist, and she would be the one to suffer.
What had she become? Some slave to Seton’s depravity? Or was this terrible fate somehow of her own doing?
Fleetingly she thought of Jack, and how appalled he’d be. Would she really submit to anything, with the voice in her mind urging her on, possessing her so that her will was not her own?
If there was a part of her that remained virtuous, she hoped Jack would remember her that way.
Seton threw his arms wide. His phallus bobbed before him, the head swollen dark and glistening. “Brothers and sisters, servants of the goddess of light and dark, with this worship, we make ourselves hers. May the ecstasy begin!”
“May the ecstasy begin!” Shouts from all around filled the sanctuary, and a whirl began, of clothing cast off, of men grabbing women and women wrapping themselves about men, couples entwined, some standing and others bent. A tangle of nakedness and animal thrusting surrounded her.
Like the frieze upon the wall.
All along, the signs had been here, and she’d been oblivious.
Roughly, Seton pulled her toward him, grasping beneath her knees and dragging her across the stone. She kicked with her feet, but her legs were still weak.
The firelight of the sconces shone back from his eyes, and there was no mercy in them.
CHAPTER 21
Returning to his tent, Jack began piling up papers, shoving possessions into his trunk and cases. What had gotten into Onora, he couldn’t fathom.
Short as their acquaintance was, he’d believed their connection was out of the ordinary. He never would have made love to her otherwise. He’d thought he was the one she wanted. Instead, their dalliance appeared to have compounded her decision to marry Seton. She’d made her position clear, back in her room, and the kiss he’d witnessed was the lemon-sour icing on that particular cake.
He’d get out of here first thing in themorning and hang the consequences. One of the men could help him row down to Petrie’s camp. With any luck, Flinders would offer him a job there and then, but he’d present himself as a voluntary worker if there was nothing else going.
Rowdy laughter and discordant music brought him out of the tent as a hedonistic procession make its way toward the temple. He couldn’t see exactly what they were up to, but the cacophony gave him an idea.
Seton was taking his partying into the dig site!
It was the final straw.
Jack had kept silent about a great many things, but it was time his almighty lordship received a piece of his mind, and his guests could do with being shamed too. Most of them should know better, including Onora.
He was setting off after them when Hassan called out to Jack with uncharacteristic urgency. “Sir! Balfour. Something is bad!”
“What is it, Hassan?” Jack turned to his friend as the man ran toward him. Never had he seen him so perturbed.
Breathlessly, he gasped his news. “A wind is coming. Like thekhamaseen, but stronger—as if a demon is there, bringing the storm. Is hard to see but is fast coming. Fawzi is sure, and he is never wrong in the ways of the desert.”
Jack spun about, searching the horizon. It was entirely the wrong time for the hot, dry winds that tended to come from the south, and he could see nothing. However, there was no doubt the night breeze was growing stronger, carrying with it an uncharacteristic warmth. Without question, he trusted Fawzi’s knowledge. “Lord Seton has entered the temple. We have to warn him, and the others.”
“If doors are shut, sand cannot enter.” Hassan tugged Jack’s sleeve. “Come! There is no time. We must get the animals inside and close all shutters. Everyone shall be safe.”
