He was the supreme warrior. God-like in his own right, though minor, Medjed was immortal, invincible, and damn near indestructible. Loyalty and devotion were his two best traits, along with the ability to disembowel the enemy with a mighty strike of his khopesh.
Of course, he had to admit that magic could zap him every now and then. As it had when a certain ancient sorceress had imprisoned him after he’d refused her as mate. Oh well, what was time after all to someone who had all of it?
Even Medjed had his boundaries. Fornication was a favorite pastime, indeed, but he would never share his immortal soul with anyone lest she be the mate destined for him, inscribed amongst the stars on the skin of Nut herself.
He frowned against the whip of the polar wind as the one thing in the world Medjed feared ran through his brain. What if he’d missed his one true mate’s time on this earth? What if she’d been alive when he’d been incarcerated in the scroll?
What if he’d lost his chance for ultimate happiness and fulfillment because he’d followed his phallus between the thighs of the wrong Witch.
Son of a dog! He growled to himself and his vision turned red as the height of his anger grew. The once white snow looked like frozen clumps of blood in his present state and only served to fuel his lust for battle. No. This would not do.
He was there on a reconnaissance mission only. To investigate certain disturbances in the North Pole, which apparently was not a pole but a magnetic force. It did not matter. He owed Ms. Dylluan allegiance and would do as she asked. He would not return until his investigation was complete, and if he happened to snag himself the red-suited menace known as San Ta Claws, well, that would be strictly a bonus.
Medjed barked a command to his team of Huskies, enjoying the thrill as they obeyed his direction at once. There was nothing quite like the immediate submission of a worthy beast and these dogs were more than that. He always did have a soft spot for animals.
Medjed tossed the team of sled dogs some hearty strips of salmon jerky then proceeded to set up camp for the night. The wind was growing stronger and as his previous experience had taught him, that was not a good thing in these parts.
The small cave he’d spied in a nearby snowy hill would provide the perfect shelter, he reasoned. He did not sense any wild animals about and that was a relief. Somewhat. No polar bears to bother him, though truth be told, it was a pity. He could’ve used the exercise.
Wrestling with a mighty creature such as a polar bear would’ve been just the thing to tire him out. His muscles buzzed with energy and his stomach tensed as though readying for some impending interruption or commotion, though it was all for naught.
He was alone in this cold place and that thought was depressing. He’d spent a thousand years in that scroll, mostly in deep slumber, but still he had been alone the entire time. He had no wish to ever be alone again, and yet finding a mate proved elusive to him.
What was an ancient warrior to do? Nothing he could do tonight, he decided, except get some rest then continue on his journey tomorrow. He would look over the spots on the map Ms. Dylluan had given him that marked the areas where the magnetic fields seemed to increase at odd intervals over the past few days.
Apparently her agency was concerned about global warming having an adverse effect on the planet. He was to check the readings on the equipment the government had secretly placed in the area and make sure everything was working correctly.
Duh, he thought. Of course the environment was affected by global warming, industry, and humankind’s abuse of the Earth’s natural resources in general. Still, he owed it to her to check things out. Besides, he’d wanted to investigate for his own reasons.
“Santa Claus is not real Medjed. Just do your job,” MS. Dylluan had said before he’d left.
He did not necessarily believe the Shifter woman was correct about the fiend who ruled the season, but that was his opinion. For now, he would see to his animals and get some food inside of his grumbling stomach.
Watered and fed, the excellent team of Huskies bunkered down for the night in the pop-up kennel just inside the mouth of the cave. They were good dogs, would have been worshipped in his time, he thought though their thick coats would have made living under the Egyptian sun unbearable. But here, they were in their element and inside the kennel they were safe and snug.
The wonders of man, he thought as he dragged the sled inside the cave and covered the small opening with a large sheet of something called plasteek. Once that was finished, he set about starting a small fire.
First, he would eat, then he would sleep, and tomorrow he would find the cause of the anomaly Ms. Dylluan had asked him to investigate.
“Hmm,” he grunted skeptically as he added water to a bag of freeze-dried stew.
It did not look appetizing, but the smell was not so bad, he supposed.
“Oh, that feels nice,” a voice said from behind him, and Medjed turned around with his fists raised and a mighty growl coming from his throat.
He had checked the cave for signs of life, hadn’t he? Hmm. Maybe not well enough. Maybe he’d been too distracted with his wayward thoughts.
He focused on the direction where the voice had sounded with his growl rumbling threateningly in his throat. The sound immediately cut off when his eyes finally grew accustomed to the dim light and landed on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Medjed felt like a man who had been lost in the desert and had just gotten his first glimpse of water in what felt like forever. His inner powers stirred and hummed along his skin and inside his very veins as he stared at the vision.
The woman, and yes, it was a woman, bit her lower lip and his eyes zeroed in on the small movement before tracing the rest of her. She had pale ivory skin that seemed to glow in the dimness. Bright emerald colored eyes sparkled like gems at him before darting away to look once more at the fire. She shivered in her thin coat and he could see it was no match for this weather.
Curiosity warred with desire as he took in the womanly curves of his unknown guest. Was she some mischievous sprite? An evil spirit to tempt him away from his duty?
He did not know this, but he did know that she was positively the most loveliest thing he had ever seen. With hair black as midnight and lips red as blood, she was a palette of perfection to his mind. The perfect blend of lights and darks, an artist’s dream, indeed, that was how he felt. Like he had stepped into a dream, and if that proved true, then he never wanted to wake.
Visions of holding her close to him, kissing her full lips, and nuzzling her soft flesh filled his brain. It was all he could do not to leap over the few feet that separated them and do just that.
Even more amazing than his intense physical reaction was that his heart felt near to bursting. One, solitary word seemed to echo in his brain from the moment his gaze landed on her. It was all he could do not to shout it out to the whole world as possession and passion filled him, and that single word roared in his head like thunder.
Mine.
Chapter 3
“Hello, I’m Candy,” she said breaking the silence, and with any luck, his impossibly direct stare.
The breathless quality her voice had taken on startled her. She was no simpering maid, but boy, did she sound like one.
It was the regular way to start a conversation, but she could hardly expect anything to be regular when she stood in the face of her fated mate.