Page 11 of Traveling with Gentlemen
"Not me, but one of my children," Sebek said.
"Sebek is the god of crocodiles, my star," Amon said softly, gently.
But the tender tone did nothing to stop the announcement from nearly bowling me over. Only shock prevented me from speaking a flurry of questions outloud.
Not just monsters butgodstoo? Gods with the bodies of the strongest men and the heads of crocodiles? Who retrieved young women's hats from the river?!
"Th-thank you," I whispered, finally forcing my eyes to Sebek's muscular, scaled throat, accepting the hand from his long clawed fingers.
Amon made the introductions to the others as I fought to regain my senses, my straw hat held limply in my hands. Sebek didn't bow to my other gentlemen but he had a warm and friendly voice that I liked, and the sound of it soothed me back to calm.
"And see, my friend," Sebek continued as I gathered myself and leaned into Amon's side, wrapping my arms around his waist and receiving a soft kiss on my forehead. "I've guided you swiftly home."
Amon huffed as Sebek stood back, and my sphinx's breath hitched at the sight ahead of us. The boat was moving smoothly on the water, but I hadn't noticed any difference in speed. We weren't due to reach Amon's home until the next morning. Still, I was certain of the view.
A brilliant golden palace waited at the horizon, to the right of the boat and still a fair distance away, but it was growing quickly. I gaped at the sight, at thesizeand Amon puffed with pride at my side.
"It is good to have you back, Amon," Sebek said.
I looked up at Amon's face, at the way the sun gleamed through the fur at the sides of his face, and his eyes shone like they were lit from within with fire.
"It is good to be home," Amon said. He looked to me, over his shoulder to the others, his smile growing. "It is good to return with you all. My family."
CHAPTER4
DOMESTIC DAYS
Ilistened to the swish swish of my loose silk pants as I kicked my legs, sitting on the high counter of the surprisingly modern kitchen. The room was huge and airy, usually full of Amon's friendly staff, but they always gave the room to Auguste alone when he wanted to cook. I wasn't sure if they were afraid of my vampire, or especially respectful of his cooking.
It was evening and Auguste had woken from our nap together, determined to try a new recipe for our dinner. Amon had left for the day to go and speak with other monsters regarding Birsha, and he'd taken Ezra and Booker with him. They would return soon, but the thought of wandering Amon's palace alone in the meantime overwhelmed me. We'd been settling in for a little over two weeks, but I still found myselfgetting lost in the vast rooms and seemingly endless halls.
The kitchen was on the ground floor, opening out to a walled-in courtyard that was lush with a farmer's garden full of vegetables and grains and spices. Auguste's experiments blended beautifully with the breeze of earth and growth slipping in softly through the high open windows.
"Have you seen Jonathon?" I asked Auguste, as he approached me with a steaming spoon. I opened my mouth obediently and hummed as spices flashed on my tongue. He took his own taste, a delicate dab with his tongue since I was the only thing he preferred to dine on, and his eyes wandered the room as he thought.
"Needs acidity," he murmured before answering my question, "No, not since he wandered off to his lab. That was before you ate lunch, wasn't it? He'll have forgotten."
"He's been working too much since we arrived," I said, frowning.
Auguste smiled at me before returning to the bubbling pots on the stove. "He loves his work. Not as much as he loves you or I, mon coeur, but it's hard to pull him away." Auguste stirred, and I gazed at his back, muscles shifting under the soft white cotton. "You're right, though. We should make sure to drag him to dinner."
I perked up at the suggestion. "I'll go hunt him down."
Auguste's lips curved and I wondered if he'd meant to send me on this route.
I hopped down from the counter, running to Auguste's side to kiss his cheek, before hurrying to leave the kitchen. Jonathon's labs were underground, near the bathing pool Amon had promised me. The pool was a brighter and more lavish version than Rooksgrave's grotto, with gold and blue tiles glittering through the bright water, but I still made my gentlemen join me, a little shy of deep water after my run-in with the wraith.
The halls of the palace were broad and bright, reminding me of Amon's Star Manor, echoing the soft slaps of my footsteps on the tile. As I neared Jonathon's lab, his own busy work filtered out to my ears, glass chinking and water bubbling, the scratch of a pen on paper. I paused in the doorway, taking in the scene. In the little time since our arrival, Jonathon had transformed the room into a space as mysterious to me as Magadalena's office, although the nature of his trinkets and tools was decidedly more modern.
The room was brightly lit by bulbs and oil lamps alike, and while crowded, it was clearly organized and tidy. Jonathon sat hunched in front of me, resting on a stool, peering down into one of his devices. His shirtsleeves were rolled up and there was a row of empty cups of tea off to the left.
"You won't distract me if you come closer," Jonathon said without looking up.
It was an invitation and a challenge. I accepted both, crossing the close space and pressing myself to Jonathon's back. He chuckled and I rose up to my toes, glancing at his notebook only long enough to know I had no chance of deciphering the scribbles. My arms wrapped around his middle, my hands finding a convenient resting place in his lap.
"What are you up to, Ms. Reed?" he asked, voice lowered slightly, his elegant hands fiddling with dials.
"Attempting to lure you back upstairs for dinner," I answered, cupping his crotch through his trousers.
