Hathor's Return Read online

  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Afflicted

  Hathor’s

  Return

  By

  Zizi Cole & T.M. Grinsley

  Copyright © 2017 by Zizi Cole & T.M. Grinsley

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Note: This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination and are not to be contrused as real. Any resemblance to any actual events or persons, living or dead, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The scanning, uploading, and distributing of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.

  Zizi Cole

  [email protected]

  https://www.facebook.com/authorzizicole/

  T.M. Grinsley

  [email protected]

  https://www.facebook.com/TMGrinsley/

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's right is appreciated.

  Edited by Amanda “Andie” Ryder

  Cover Design by Zizi Cole

  Book Layout © 2017

  BookDesignTemplates.com

  Hathor’s Return/ Zizi Cole and T.M. Grinsley. -- 1st ed.

  ISBN 978-1986029414

  Blurb

  Kristina Bulfer and Josephine Carter are just your average 27-year-old college girls, who recently graduated from Penn State. To celebrate the biggest moment of their lives, why not go on an all-access tour of Egypt? Nothing could possibly happen surrounded by mummies, ancient tombs, and endless amounts of sand, right?

  From the moment the girls step foot in Cairo, Jo is plagued with visions of a past life that isn’t her own. Things they never suspected could possibly occur start happening. Kris has a giant hawk stalking her and mysterious markings start forming on her arms, while Jo keeps getting visions of promiscuous gods and ends up being captured by another.

  The two must work together to escape the temple and survive the nightmare that has become their lives. Will Kris and Jo be able to stop Hathor’s Return?

  CONTENTS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  PROLOGUE

  As Ra stormed into the room, I stretched languidly on the chaise. His shendyt swirled around his legs in an angry mass. He paced around the room; from the look of it, he was trying to burn off whatever was irritating him. I put my arms over my head in a gesture that thrust my breasts forward, hoping it would catch Ra’s attention.

  “What ever is the matter, Ra?” I asked as he made another pass in front of me.

  “Those humans dare treat me with such disrespect! I would love to see them suffer and then they would have to come crawling back, begging for my forgiveness and my help. That would teach them some humility and respect.” Ra spat. He stepped out onto the balcony, staring out at what I assumed was the humans below.

  I fingered the eye necklace I was wearing, as he spoke. I could feel Ra’s power building inside me. I knew what I could do to help him. I just had to wait for the word, so I could unleash the wrath that I had been holding onto.

  Ra’s head fell backwards, a moan escaping his lips as he began to merge with Horus. My arousal for him continued to grow. The transformation was nearly complete, signaling it was time to attack. I slowly stood, letting the silk of my dress slide sensually down my legs.

  I glided across the room and stood directly behind him. Gently, I put my arms around his waist and slid my hands up his strong, masculine chest.

  “Is there something I can do to help?” I purred against his ear.

  His hands covered mine and slid down my arms. He turned and faced me. His mouth came down so it was a breath away from mine. “I want to make them suffer.”

  My breath hitched as the excitement of his words swam through me. “All you have to do is say the word, and your wish is my command.”

  I licked my lips in anticipation, my tongue brushing his lips, demanding entry. His mouth came down on mine in a kiss, full of passion and anger. I matched his passion in the kiss with my own, shifting my hips so they were pressed against him.

  He broke the kiss and strode past me, into the room. I turned, slightly dazed from the kiss, unsure of what just happened. Shaking my head from his abrupt behavior, I followed him. He paced the room a few times and then walked over to the table by my bed and poured two glasses of wine. With Ra’s back turned to me, I slid the dress off my shoulders and let it pool at my feet.

  When Ra turned back around to face me, I stood naked in front of him, with a smile on my face. His eyes lit up as he handed me a glass of wine. I took the offered glass and sipped it. My eyes never swayed from Ra’s. I set the glass down on the floor, next to my dress, and carefully stepped out of it.

  I crawled onto the bed, and turned so I was lying on my side. I slid my hand down my stomach to my leg, inviting him to feast upon my flesh. “Come join me, Ra. You need to relax, my pet.”

  He set his glass down and joined me on the bed. His arms pinned me to the bed as he took control. One hand held my wrists tightly together over my head, as the other roamed my body.

  His rough hands caused my body to demand more than his touch. I needed him inside me. I wiggled my wrists free and I deftly removed his belt. He growled in approval as I pulled his shendyt off him.

  I wrapped my legs around his waist and moaned into his ear as his hands trailed down my stomach to my back. In one fluid motion, he flipped me onto my back and slid inside me. He pounded into me, demanding more from me than he ever had before.

  I felt pressure on my back as he whispered into my ear the words I had been aching to hear.

  “Make them suffer, My Queen.”

  I shifted into a lion as I mentally finalized my plans. Quietly, I roamed the dark streets of Cairo, waiting to attack. Any moment now the people will be asleep and at my mercy.

  Darkness encased the town and I began my attack. I burst through the first door and killed everyone in sight. At first, I had a slight twinge of guilt as I killed the first child, but the blood lust quickly took over.

  Men, women, children; I couldn’t differentiate. I killed indiscriminately. As the blood lust grew, so did the power. The slaughter continued through the following days. I didn’t feel wary; with every kill, I felt even more rejuvenated.

  After much blood was spilled, I heard the pleas from the humans and Ra to cease the attacks. However, they fell upon deaf ears. I was having too much fun, feeling too much power going through my body, to stop. Anubis would appreciate the many gifts that I was sending him. He woul
d be especially busy for some time and would thank me for my efforts later.

  Looking over the field of bodies, I felt a surge of satisfaction. I began to lap up the blood, feeling slightly woozy and tired. I carefully made my way through the bodies. The more blood I lapped up, the harder it became to concentrate.

  I made my way back to the palace and shifted back to my human form. As I walked up into Ra’s chambers, my steps became sluggish and I collapsed on the floor in front of his door. I heard the door open and felt hands under my body. As I was placed on the bed, I felt lips on my forehead. Then Ra whispered, “Tiṣbaḥ 'ala khayr, my dear.”

  I opened my eyes to see light streaming into the room. My head was pounding; my memories were nothing but a blur. I glanced around the room and Ra was standing at the balcony. I climbed out of bed and stumbled from the pain of the headache.

  “There is wine in the pewter next to the bed. Drink it. It will help the ache.” He said without turning around.

  I grabbed the wine and downed it in one drink. Walking to him, I looked out to see what he had been staring at. The sand was stained red from the blood of the humans I had killed. Guilt curled in my stomach and I looked at Ra, hoping that he would forgive me for my ruthlessness.

  I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off with a gesture of his hand. “You did exactly as I asked. I shouldn’t have expected you not to become overcome by the power. How do you feel?”

  I assessed myself and realized I didn’t have any of the urge to kill inside me anymore. “I feel different.”

  “Do you still have the urge to kill?”

  I slowly shook my head no. It was true, I didn’t want to kill anymore.

  Ra looked at me and smiled slightly. “Good. We shall rename you then. You will no longer be Sekhmet. You are now Hathor. Hopefully the bloodlust will remain gone for all eternity. You should only feel love and happiness. Heavens help the world, should that bloodlust return.”

  I wrapped my arms around him and rested my aching head on his back. I hoped the bloodlust didn’t return as well. I wasn’t sure I would be able to control it if it happened to come back. Love and happiness sounded so much better than death and despair.

  What I wasn’t aware of was, things were going to change, which were going to make it impossible for me to remain the Goddess of Love. Humankind and gods alike made it difficult to keep that for all eternity.

  CHAPTER 1

  ~ Kristina ~

  “Where is that blasted thing?” Scouring through the entire Egyptian section at the University of Pennsylvania, it was nowhere to be found. I picked up an ancient text depicting the whereabouts of ancient gods in the Valley of the Queens. Flipping through the pages, I tried to find what I was looking for. After a few minutes, I set it aside with all the others. I was looking for something in particular and after countless books, I was unable to find it.

  My best friend, and pain in the ass roommate, received a mysterious package from an unknown sender a few days back. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but something about it seemed odd. The pendant depicted a symbol of Ra, Ancient Egyptian Sun God, with a symbol that looked like a mandala on its head with a rare stone in the middle. But mandalas are not in Egyptian culture. Not to mention, the entire thing is made of gold and the mandala looking shape has a cobra around the edges. It isn’t large in size and it fits perfectly between her breasts, so it’s hidden from the human eye. But who would send someone such a rare piece of jewelry, with no note or return address? Little too odd in my book.

  “Bollocks. Where the hell did I put that damn book?” Flipping through page after page, I still couldn’t find what I was looking for. The problem was, I couldn’t remember what it was that I was looking for. Since Jo received her gift, I’ve had this gut feeling I needed to find something, but alas, I have no idea what it is.

  Throwing my hands up in the air, I gave up on this wild goose chase. I decided to try another route. In six hours, Josephine and I were headed to Egypt on a fourteen day tour, exploring everything the country has to offer. We will be exploring Middle Egypt, checking out restricted pyramids only archeologists have access to. Then we will make our way to Bahariya Oasis, which holds the beautifully decorated tombs from 500 BC and the Temple of Alexander the Great. After that, we will make our way to Taposiris Magna a.k.a. Alexandria, where archeologists are on the hunt for the last Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. Who wouldn’t be excited about this?

  When I heard about this tour, I screamed, ran around our dorm room acting like a fool, and got jiggy with my nerd self. Jo came home and thought I was on the verge of having a seizure. She called me a complete nut when she found out why I was freaking out. I talked her ear off for hours about the trip and what cool things we will discover.

  Since it was my year to plan our summer vacation, I booked our tickets on the spot and started prepping for the trip. I saved up for years so I could one day go on my dream trip. Jo tried to get out of it several times, but after the haunted house in Europe and peeing my pants fiasco. She owed me.

  “Hey Kris? Where are you at?” Form the corner of my eye, I saw Jo enter the back room to the Egyptian exhibit.

  “Over here!” I called out.

  Unlocking the door to Ra’s exhibit, I made my way to the ancient text we received a few weeks ago, from Egypt. For seven years, I have dedicated my life to becoming a specialist in all things Egypt. Since I was a kid, my mom and I had watched the movie, ‘The Mummy’, countless times. She would drive me to all the local museums, watch documentaries on the History Channel, and plan trips around the world to see history come to life. We travelled all over the United States and even overseas a few times. When it was time for me to go to college, I decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania because they house the largest collection of Egyptian and Nubian material in the United States.

  It was like feeding candy to a baby. My inner historian and librarian went coo coo for Cocoa Puffs. When I received my acceptance letter, I packed my stuff and moved. I longed to follow the footsteps of Evelyn Carnahan. Okay, yes, she is a fictional character from a movie, who fell in love with a hot treasure hunter, and almost got killed by a mummy. But still. Who knows, maybe while we are in Egypt, I can meet a super hot treasure hunter, who will help me uncover dead people from thousands of years ago. And not have to deal with men who want to get drunk, have one night stands, or live in their mother’s basement.

  Man, do I need to get a life.

  “Even though I have said this many times over, why the hell did you pick the hottest place on the freaking planet to go? Not to mention, it’s a place full of dead people. I am all for seeing ghosts and checking out haunted places, but mummies? No, thanks. Besides, summer is meant for laying butt naked on the sand, meeting hot men, and getting your freak on. You know, normal stuff.” Jo plopped in a chair next to me, while I ran my finger over the latest text I read a few days ago.

  “Calm your undercooked tits, woman. You will get plenty of sun in Cairo. Not to mention, you may find a hot Egyptian to warm your sheets.” I replied, ignoring whatever Jo was doing.

  Wait a second. Keeping my eyes glued to the page, I realized what I was looking for.

  “More like cold sheets. I mean-“

  “I FOUND IT!” A picture that looked exactly like the necklace Jo was wearing was inscribed in this ancient text about Ra, the Ancient Egyptian Sun God.

  “What’s up four eyes?” Jo rested her chin on my shoulder and gasped when her eyes landed on what I found. “Shut the freaking door! That’s my pendant. What does it say?”

  Grasping her pendant, I could see her shake with anticipation. We looked everywhere online to see what her pendant was and who made it, but nothing came up.

  “It says this pendant was gifted to the woman who captured his heart. There is no name on here, but it says he moved heaven and hell to make her, his. I can’t decipher what else it says, because there is a chunk of page missing. Something about power and blood. But that’s it.”

&
nbsp; “Wicked!” Jo grinned from ear to ear, processing everything I just told her. “So I have an exact replica of a necklace that was given to Ra’s love?”

  “Guess so. I need to keep digging to find out more, though.”

  Jo grabbed my wrists before I was able to do anything. “We have a plane to catch, remember? That can wait until we get back.”

  Glancing at the papers in front of me, my gut told me I needed to keep looking for answers.

  “You promised you would set aside work, and play. This is a vacation. You know, V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Place where you visit to have fun and not be a boring librarian slash scholar.” Jo said, while dragging me out of the room.

  “I did no such thing, woman.” I snapped back.

  “Ah huh. We have to be at the airport in three hours. You know I love to party like the next person, and do whatever I can to cause trouble, but I hate being late. So get your butt in the shower and pack.” Letting go of my wrist, she walked behind me and began pushing me out of my work place.

  “Alright, alright. Just let me grab-“

  “Not happening, sister.” Ignoring my protests, I slapped her hands away and made my way to our dorm. Two hours to pack before we left for the coolest adventure I will ever have in my life.

  “Good morning, everyone. It is 5:12 in the morning, with the skies clear and a high of 32 degrees Celsius. The captain and I wanted to thank you for flying Lufthansa airlines and hope you will fly with us again soon. Keep your seatbelts fastened and prepare yourself for arrival. We will be arriving in Cairo in 45 minutes.”

  Three planes, two layovers, and sixteen hours sitting on my bum was killing me. Not to mention, Jo snored like a freight train. I heard horror stories about international flying, but to my surprise, this wasn’t bad. The plane was relatively quiet and the food was superb.