Page 31 of Dark Shaman: Love Found (The Children Of The Gods #99)

ELUHEED

A fterward, they lay entwined, the silk sheets tangled around them. Tamira traced patterns on his chest, her fingers following the contours of muscle and bone.

"Sometimes I forget you're supposed to be human," she murmured. "You're too perfect, too strong, too everything."

His heart clenched. The urge to tell her the truth was overwhelming. She deserved to know what he really was, why he could match her immortal stamina, why wounds healed too quickly on his skin. But the words stuck in his throat. Not yet. Not when everything was so precarious.

"I'm far from perfect," he said instead.

"Perfect for me, then." She pressed a kiss to his chest, over his heart, then over the mark he'd been carrying on his body for centuries. "Even if you are just human, even if we only have fifty years, I would choose this. Choose you."

"Tamira— "

"Shh." She silenced him with a kiss. "No heavy conversations. Not tonight. Tonight, we're just Elias and Tamira, and our future is bright, at least in our imaginations."

He pulled her closer, marveling at how perfectly she fit against him. "Just us," he agreed.

"Tell me your best dreams," she said, her head resting on his shoulder. "If you could have whatever you want, what would that look like?"

It was a dangerous question. His dreams were impossible: recovering the treasures from Mount Ararat, completing his mission, and returning home. But none of that could happen while he was stuck on this island, and even if he could escape, he couldn't take Tamira with him.

"I dream of freedom," he said carefully. "Us living together without having to hide."

"A little house somewhere," she elaborated, building on his words. "With a garden where you could grow your herbs. Shelves full of books for me. No one watching our every move."

"Sounds perfect."

"I like this fantasy," she said with a sigh. "It's beautiful."

A sound from above reminded them that time was passing. They'd been in the basement for over two hours. Soon, too soon, they'd have to get dressed and return upstairs, Tamira to her room on the second floor and Eluheed to the hotel.

"We should check the time," Tamira said reluctantly .

"Five more minutes," he bargained, tightening his arms around her. "Just five more minutes of pretending this is our bed, our home, our life."

She relaxed against him. "Five minutes."

But they both knew it would never be enough. No amount of time would be enough when they were living on borrowed moments, stealing happiness in two- or three-hour increments, but it was more than they'd had for the past two weeks, and they should be grateful.

"Tomorrow is Tula and Tony's turn," she said. "But the day after, it's our turn again. I don't want them to use our bed."

He chuckled. "Should we hide it?"

"Yes. This is our secret haven. Our four-poster paradise." She laughed. "Complete with mysterious sand architecture next door."

"Maybe we should investigate it properly next time," he suggested, though he knew they wouldn't. Every moment was too precious to waste on mysteries that didn't concern them.

"Maybe," Tamira said, but her tone suggested the same thought. "Or maybe we'll just stay right here, in our bed, pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist."

The thought was seductive. If he could freeze time, keep them in this moment forever, he would. But time was their enemy, always running out.

"We should go," Tamira said, her words heavy with reluctance .

"Yeah, we should." He released her from his arms and reached for their discarded clothing, handing Tamira her dress.

They dressed quickly. Their break was over, and it was time to return to reality.

"Your hair," he said, reaching out to rake his fingers through it. "It's mussed."

"So is yours." She reached up to smooth it, her touch lingering. "There. Now you look properly dusty and disheveled from moving furniture."

"Is that our story?"

She nodded. "Unless you want to grab a few decorations on our way out and claim that it took us hours to find them."

"That's not a bad idea. It would be suspicious if we emerged empty-handed after all this time. I'll grab something quickly."

"I'll come with you," she said. "We need to choose something believable."

As they made their way through the maze of furniture, Eluheed noticed things he'd overlooked before—a collection of oil paintings leaning against a wall, ornate mirrors reflecting their disheveled appearance, carved wooden chests that might hold treasures or just old linens.

"These," Tamira said, stopping beside a pair of small statues of stone cats that looked menacing. "They are substantial enough to justify the time we spent down here, and I like them. "

"Are you sure you want those in your room?" Eluheed asked. "They look angry."

"They'll look perfect on the shelf by the window," she said, then lowered her voice. "And every time I look at them, I'll remember tonight."

As they climbed the stairs, leaving their sanctuary behind, Eluheed glanced back at the barred section with its mysterious sand. He had an odd feeling about it and wondered why touching Navuh hadn't revealed what he was hiding in there.

At the top of the stairs, Tamira paused, turning to him.

"The day after tomorrow," she said softly.

"I'll be counting the minutes."

She smiled at that, reaching for the heavy door handle. But before she could press it, Eluheed caught her free hand.

"Wait," he said. "Your lips."

She touched them self-consciously. "What about them?"

"They're swollen. From kissing."

"Oh." She bit her lower lip, which was counterproductive. "What should I say if anyone notices?"

"That you were dusty from the basement. You kept touching your mouth and nose, trying not to sneeze."

"That's actually brilliant."

"I have my moments. "

"Ready?" Tamira asked.

"No," he admitted. "I'm never ready to let you go."

She squeezed his hand once, then released it. "I know. But we'll have another night soon."

They emerged into the hallway, blinking in the brighter light. The butler appeared almost immediately, as if he'd been waiting nearby.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Lady Tamira?" he asked, his tone perfectly neutral though his eyes seemed to take in every detail of their appearance.

"We did," she said, holding up the stone cat. "These will be perfect for my room. Though the dust down there is terrible. I couldn't stop sneezing."

"I'll have them cleaned for you," the butler offered, reaching for the statue.

"No need," Tamira said quickly. "I'll do that later."

"Lord Navuh has asked that the gentlemen depart by nine," the butler said. "The car is already waiting outside."

Eluheed glanced at the grandfather clock. It was eight forty-five. Fifteen more minutes, but they couldn't spend them together. Not with the butler waiting for him to depart.

"Thank you for your help tonight, Elias," Tamira said formally. "Those boxes were far too heavy for me to move alone."

"It was my pleasure, Lady Tamira," he replied, matching her formal tone while his eyes said everything he couldn't voice .

Tony appeared from wherever he'd been watching a movie with Tula.

"Ready to go?" Tony asked.

Eluheed nodded, though every fiber of his being wanted to stay. He followed Tony toward the front door, turning back once to see Tamira climbing the stairs to her room, the stone cats cradled in her arms.