Page 28 of Dark Shaman: Love Found (The Children Of The Gods #99)

TAMIRA

T amira sat on one of the cushions they'd arranged in a circle, pretending to examine a water-damaged manuscript while her mind wandered to Elias.

He was outside with Tony, working on restoring the herb garden, and she had seen him only for a few minutes each time he and Tony returned to the tent for a drink of water and some rest in the air-conditioned interior.

Areana joined her and Tula on the pillows and looked around with a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes. The servants were gone, back to the library to gather more books, and only the ladies were in the tent.

"Gather around, please." Areana waved the others over. "I have news."

Tula put down the book she was working on and looked at Areana with tired eyes.

The past two weeks had been particularly hard on her.

At least Tamira got to see Elias when Navuh summoned him.

Tula only saw Tony when he accompanied them in the mornings, and most days, he was whisked away to the hotel once they returned from the day's excursion.

Once they were all seated, Areana glanced once more toward the tent entrance, confirming they were alone. There were guards outside, but they were far enough away that quiet conversation wouldn't carry.

"The construction project in the basement is done," Areana said, her voice pitched low. "As of tonight, we can resume our expeditions through the stored furniture."

"That's nice," Sarah said politely, though her tone suggested she couldn't care less about whatever treasures were stored in the basement.

Areana's lips curved in a knowing smile. "Lord Navuh arranged for the basement to be completely empty of staff every evening after dinner. No servants, no guards, and no surveillance cameras in the storage areas."

Tamira's breath caught. She met Areana's eyes, hardly daring to hope she was understanding correctly.

"Furthermore," Areana continued, her gaze moving between Tamira and Tula, "Elias and Tony may accompany you on these expeditions. To help move furniture, of course, and give advice on decor."

"Of course." Tula smiled, but she didn't look nearly as elated as Tamira felt.

"There are conditions," Areana continued. "The men must leave by nine. No exceptions. Any later and the staff will talk. We cannot afford questions about why they're staying late in Lord Navuh's home."

Three hours of privacy with Elias sounded like heaven to Tamira.

"How should we arrange the schedule?" Liliat asked, ever practical. "We can't all go down there every night. That would look suspicious."

"I thought we could alternate," Areana said.

"Tamira and Elias tonight, Tula and Tony tomorrow.

The rest of you can accompany them if you wish, to maintain appearances, but it would be better if you pretend disinterest in interior decor.

I will have to go down there from time to time to examine the finds, but I can limit my visits to just a few minutes. "

"I'm really not interested in interior design," Raviki said with a grin.

"I'd rather retire to my room and soak in a bath with a good book than waste time in a dusty basement after spending all day in a tent infested with sand.

I never realized how much sand was carried in the wind.

The harem is so far from the beach." She turned to Areana.

"And speaking of the beach, you promised to speak to Lord Navuh about an excursion. "

"I did," Areana admitted. "But I've learned that it's better to tackle one issue at a time with my mate. Now that the basement is settled, I might ask him about a trip to the beach."

"What about the books?" Liliat asked. "They are not going to restore themselves, and I don't trust the servants to do a proper job with them. We can't take breaks to go to the beach until this is done."

Raviki shook her head. "Once we are back in the harem, we won't be allowed out again. We need to use this opportunity to enjoy things we will never get to enjoy once we are back in our prison."

Rolenna let out a breath. "And yet here we are, eager to return to these grounds because it's infinitely better here than what's out there. Everything is relative." She snorted. "Even space and time. I sound so profound."

Tamira wanted to hug them all. After thousands of years together, they had become true sisters, supporting each other through the endless monotony and occasional crises of their shared captivity.

Mortdh might have been an even worse despot than his son, but at least he had chosen the best females for his harem, and it hadn't been just about their looks.

He had wanted clever offspring and had selected them accordingly.

The problem was that he hadn't been able to impregnate any of them.

His only true son, Navuh, had been born to a human mother.

He was clever, though, so the mother must have been smart as well.

"Don't look too eager," Areana said pointedly to Tamira. "When you and Elias head down to the basement, you need to act indifferent to each other. Tell Elias to pretend that it's a chore he would love to get out of. "

Tamira chuckled. "I don't know how good he is at acting, but I'll tell him to do his best."

Areana turned to Tula. "Are you alright with waiting until tomorrow to be with Tony?"

Tula nodded. "One more day won't kill me." She shifted on her pillow. "Although I have to admit that I've missed the kind of pleasure that only a man can provide. My own fingers are fine for a night or two, but they can barely take off the edge."

"Tula," Areana said as she glanced at the tent entrance. "Please refrain from direct language. We need to be careful."

"Sorry," Tula said. "I keep forgetting that this is a tent and its walls don't provide a sound barrier. I'm just glad that this large air-conditioning unit is so loud that it probably drowns out anything we say in here."

It was a polite way to tell Areana not to worry, but Tamira wasn't sure Tula was right about the noise being enough to cover their conversation.

It probably could shield it from human ears, but the guards were not human, and Tamira was much more worried about them than the servants who were loyal to Areana and would never betray her trust.

"We should get back to work," Areana said. "The servants will be back with more books, and we are not done with the crates they brought out before. Tamira, perhaps you could go check on the progress in the garden? See how the herbs are recovering?"

It was a transparent excuse to let her see Elias, but Tamira took it gratefully. "Of course, my lady. "

She grabbed two bottles of water for the men and forced herself to walk casually from the tent instead of running. The sun roasted her as soon as she left the cool interior, but she barely noticed it.

She found Elias kneeling in the dirt, carefully transplanting sage into a section of the garden that had been cleared of debris.

His shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging to his back, and his hands were covered in soil.

He looked up as her shadow fell across him, and his face transformed with a smile that made her weak in the knees.

"Lady Tamira," he said formally, aware of the guards watching from afar. "Have you come to inspect our progress?"

"I have." She handed him and Tony each a bottle.

"Lady Areana wanted me to tell you that you are both invited to dinner tonight.

In fact, you will be joining us for dinner every night from now on.

" She wanted to tell him about the basement, about the three precious hours of privacy they were afforded, but the immortal guards were too close, and she didn't know how to tell him without it sounding suspicious.

"That's great." He cast her a smile. "Tony and I have grown tired of what is on offer at the hotel. Lord Navuh's chef is in a league of his own."

Tony nodded enthusiastically. "He is. But what brought about the change?"

She shrugged. "That's between the lord and the lady.

They prefer to dine alone, so perhaps Lady Areana felt guilty for abandoning us at dinner and convinced the lord to invite you to entertain us.

She also convinced him to let us explore the treasures of the basement and choose what we want to add to the house decor. We can start today after dinner."

Understanding registered in Elias's eyes, and a moment later in Tony's.

"Are we all going to the basement then?" Tony asked.

"We'll take turns. Lord Navuh doesn't want too many people down there at once."

"Who goes first?" Tony asked.

She wanted to tell him that tonight belonged to her and Elias, but she'd already said too much. "We'll flip coins to decide who gets to go first."

Her eyes met Elias's. "I know you hate dusty furniture, but you promised to help me move boxes."

Thankfully, he was a quick thinker and got her meaning right away. "A promise is a promise, and I always keep my promises."

After she returned to the tent, the hours crawled by with excruciating slowness. A new crate arrived, and as she lifted one book at a time, the sun tracked across the sky with maddening lethargy, and she caught herself checking its position every few minutes, willing it to move faster.

Finally, blessedly, Areana announced it was time to pack up for the day .

The ride back to the mansion was torturous. Elias sat in the back row with Tony, close enough that she could smell the earth and sweat on him, far enough that she couldn't touch him without being obvious.

The men were dropped off at the hotel, so they could shower and change for dinner, and even that short separation seemed like too long.

She went to her room to do the same, selecting a comfortable dress that wasn't too fancy for work in the dusty basement, and most importantly, was easy to take off.

The thought made her heart beat faster with excitement.

When had she become this desperate creature, counting minutes until she could be in her lover's arms?

The answer was simple. When she'd met Elias.

When she came down, the butler announced almost with glee that Lord Navuh and Lady Areana would be joining them this evening.

Tamira's heart sank. When Navuh dined with them, meals lasted longer. He would hold court, discussing the restoration progress and asking pointed questions that required elaborate answers.

It could add an hour or more to dinner, cutting into their precious time.

Elias and Tony walked into the dining room looking freshly showered and excited, but Tony covered for them by singing the chef's praises. To the staff, they would just appear as two men excited about a good meal .

Dinner turned out to be exactly the ordeal she'd expected.

Navuh was in an expansive mood, regaling them with stories of acquisition and conquest that Tamira had heard before. She smiled at the appropriate moments and laughed when expected, all while hyperaware of Elias sitting at the far end of the table with Tony.

"I hear the book restoration is proceeding well," Navuh said, turning his attention to Areana. "How much longer do you estimate?"

"Several more weeks at least," Areana replied smoothly. "The damage was extensive, but we're making steady progress. We will be back in our quarters before the task is done."

The meal dragged on. Dessert was served—something elaborate with layers of cream and fruit that Tamira couldn't taste. Coffee followed, dark and bitter, while Navuh discussed his plans for expanding operations in Southeast Asia.

Finally, he stood. "I have calls to make. Enjoy your evening, ladies." His gaze lingered on Areana. "Don't stay up too late."

Once he was gone, Areana waited a full five minutes before speaking. "Tamira, why don't you go ahead to the basement? Take Elias to help with those heavy lamps you found so fascinating the other evening." She turned to the other ladies. "Does anyone else want to go exploring?"

"Count me out," Sarah said. "I had enough dust to deal with for one day. "

"I'll go tomorrow," Tula said. "I'm too tired today." She looked at Tony. "Would you like to stay and watch a movie with us? Lord Navuh lets us use his movie theater, and he has all the latest releases."

"I would love to." Tony tried to sound nonchalant and failed. "I haven't seen a movie on a proper screen in forever."