This week on Excerpt Thursday, we're so pleased to welcome historical romance author Veronica Scott. Her latest release, PRIESTESS OF THE NILE, is set in ancient Egypt. Join us on Sunday, when Veronica will be here to talk about the novel and give away a copy. Here's the blurb:
Egypt,
1500 BC
Drawn
to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek
the Crocodile God is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself.
Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last
priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more
than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid
anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.
Merys
is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man
ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares
not dream of the future—or love.
Sobek
takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure.
When he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love
between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?
**An Excerpt from Priestess of the Nile**
The sweet high note Merys held came to an end as
she put a hand to her throat, then bent over the tiny waves. She searched along
the riverbed, no longer focused on her song.
A
movement to the right caught his eye. What is the name of Set’s horns is
that crocodile in the shallows doing? Is it actually swimming to attack her? Enraged,
Bek threw himself down the trail at a breakneck speed.
Merys
stood carefully in one spot. She pushed her hair out of her eyes roughly and
sighed in frustration, checking her neck one more time, not quite accepting the
loss of her necklace. The slithering sensation against her skin as the old
leather thong parted and the amulet fell had been so startling, she had not
grabbed for it in time. Peering uselessly into the murk of the Nile, Merys
blinked back tears. The only possession of bmy great-grandmother’s I had
left, the symbol of my being a priestess—gone. I’ll wait for the silt to settle
and then hopefully I can find it. Taking a moment to enjoy the soaring
flight of a flock of white ibis against the blue sky, she stood straighter,
easing her muscles. I envy them their freedom.
The
sky tilted and vertigo assailed her as her feet were violently yanked out from
under her. A crocodile closed its mighty jaws around her ankle, ripping a desperate
scream from her throat. The bone-crushing force sent a sheet of hot pain up her
leg and through her body until adrenaline pulsed in her system. The beast
dragged her under the surface of the Nile, pulling her toward the center of the
river. Cold water rushed over her face, into her open mouth. Merys gagged,
tried to hold her breath, beating on the animal’s closed jaws with her fists,
then trying to jab at the nearest eye. Her stomach heaved, nausea and weakness
from the intensity of the pain in her leg spreading outward from her gut.
The
crocodile rolled her over and over, tossing her like Tyema’s puppy with a rag
doll. Black spots
danced before her eyes and she scrunched them
tightly closed against the dizziness. What
do I do to get away before I drown? I have to breathe. My chest is going to explode.
I’ve got to have air. Just as her lungs were bursting, something huge
flashed by her in the water and struck the crocodile with enough force to shove
it sideways a few feet against the current. The predator opened its jaws to
deal with the threat and Merys floated free.
A
tiny hope of survival bloomed within her. A spurt of energy sizzled through her
nerves, giving her
new strength. Kicking as hard as she could with
the injured leg, heart pounding, Merys clawed her way to the surface. The water
in her vicinity churned bright red. Something solid rose from the murky depths.
Merys screamed and flailed, too weak to swim. A hard surface lay under her,
lifting her completely out of the water, supporting her as if she were
stretched out on a board or a raft. Thank the gods for helping me. Nausea
and dizziness overwhelmed her and the world faded from her view.
When
Merys regained consciousness, she was held safe in Bek’s muscular arms, nestled
against his broad chest. Too exhausted to question the miracle of his presence
she curled closer to him in relief while he strode across the beach toward her
favorite spot under the palm trees. Tenderly he laid her in the softest spot, then
bent to examine her leg.
Blood
gushed from a long series of deep, serrated slashes, staining her dress as well
as his hands and kilt. The crocodile’s teeth had shredded her lower leg from ankle
to knee. The bone showed through. The pain was excruciating.
Merys
leaned to the side and vomited river water that burned her throat while Bek
held her hair out of the way. As she wiped her mouth, exhausted, he pushed her
gently to a reclining position. Chanting
something, he proceeded to run his hands over
her legs. The pain spiked, then receded.
What
is he doing?
Some kind of healing, but how?
Green
light shone from his hands, radiating from his palms in a cold, numbing rush.
The light brought
blessed relief, mending her skin and bones in
front of her eyes. Thank the gods.
When
he finished, Bek sat on his haunches, resting his hands on his thighs, and
scrutinized her. His face was lined, his eyes shadowed. He was dripping wet.
Another
time I would have appreciated this view. But right now I need to understand
what happened.
“You
saved me? How? How could you defeat a crocodile? And what did you do to my
leg?” Wriggling her toes, Merys touched her shin hesitantly with the tips of her
fingers. I’m safe in his arms. Her
pulse slowed. The weakness ebbed away as she relaxed.
Bek
gathered her in for a hug and she breathed deeply of his clean masculine scent.
Crooning her
name over and over, he buried his face in her
hair. Then he pulled back, framing her face with both of his broad hands, and
met her eyes. “I thought I’d lost you.”
She
put a trembling hand on his cheek. “Who are you, Bek?”
“Sobek.” He cleared his throat as he stroked
her back with one hand. She realized her soaked dress
must be clinging to her as tightly as his wet
tunic was plastered to his body. She leaned into the shelter of his mighty
arms. Bek rested his lips next to her ear and whispered, “I am Sobek.”
New
adrenaline pumped through her, making her heart pound and sending a hot pulse
along her nerves. “The Crocodile God?” I’ve been sitting and talking to the
Great One all this time, treating him like a human man? I fell in love with
him. How could I have been so blind? So stupid?
“The Crocodile God himself?”
“Yes.”
He nodded, watching her closely, his green eyes steady on her face, his brows
slightly raised. “I’m sorry I misled you.”
