Chapter 7

Emily lingered outside Ivana’s door, biting her lip and knocked gently. “Ivana” She called out

“Can… Can I stay with you tonight?” she asked softly, once she opened the door “I’m still… I'm a little scared.”

Ivana smiled. “Of course. Come on in.”

“How are you feeling?” Ivana handed Emily a glass of water.

“I’m much better,” Emily said, taking the glass and settling onto the bed. She sipped slowly. “About the ring…” she began, but Ivana hushed her with a soft smile.

“Save it for later, Emily. Focus on getting better,” she said gently.

Within minutes, Emily drifted into a light, peaceful sleep, her soft snoring filling the room. Ivana moved to the window, staring out at the city lights, but her mind was elsewhere.

“Bride of a god…” she whispered under her breath. Why… Why did my parents promise me to a god?

The memory of his golden eyes, his raw power and searing anger, lingered in her mind, sending a shiver down her spine. Fear, confusion, and a strange curiosity tangled together, filled her up.

Her thoughts slipped further back, to the night of her eighteenth birthday—the night her parents vanished without a trace. No letter, no warning, just their notebook full of their adventure as archeologists, leaving an emptiness that had haunted her for years. Had they known this would happen? Had they truly understood what they were doing when they bound her to a god?

Ivana’s grip tightened on the windowsill, her heart thudding in the quiet room.She swallowed hard, staring out at the city lights twinkling below. Sleep was impossible tonight.,questions swirled like shadows she couldn’t chase away.

Back at the pyramid, a servant knelt, hands pressed together in submission. “My Lord… please, calm yourself,” he urged, eyes wide with worry.

Anubis’ golden eyes flared, fists clenched at his sides as arcs of energy crackled around him. “Calm myself?” he growled, voice low and dangerous. “Do you not see? I cannot exert my full power!”

“Perhaps… it is because you’ve been asleep for so long, My Lord,” the servant offered cautiously, trying to appease him.

“Where are the artifacts?” Anubis demanded, contempt dripping from every word. “I stored some of my power in them for days like this. I need to retrieve them—it will take time for me to recover fully if I cannot access them!”

The servant swallowed hard, steadying his voice. “My lord… some humans… they’ve carried some of your items out of the country.” He lowered his gaze, then added carefully, “Since… your bride is an archaeologist, perhaps you could ask her for help.”

“Don’t you dare call her my bride,” Anubis snapped, his sharp glare made him cower.

“But… she is, my lord,” the servant said, bowing his head in deference.

Anubis’ eyes narrowed. “What did you say she was again?”

“She’s an archaeologist, my lord. She visits tombs… like this one.”

“So… she’s a thief?” he said, the corner of his mouth curling into a dark chuckle.

“I never said that, my lord!” the servant protested, alarmed.

“Yet you did say people like her came to steal my belongings,” Anubis said, amusement and ire mingling in his voice.

“My Lord, you should ask for her help,” the servant suggested.

“Meru how long have you been with me”

“More than four thousand years my Lord,” Meru replied.

“And have you ever seen me ask for help from a mortal?” He smirked and then added. “Find a way and let her come to me herself”

“Yes my Lord” Meru bowed before retreating.

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Ivana woke groggily, squinting against the harsh glare of the morning sun. She had only fallen asleep in the wee hours, her body protesting as she stretched. “It's a new day,” she murmured, pushing herself up and heading to get ready.

Downstairs, the team had gathered in the lounge. Caleb’s eyes immediately landed on her, a teasing smile tugging at his lips. “Wow, Ivana…”

Eric raised an eyebrow, voice laced with concern. “You look like hell. Are you okay?”

Ivana rubbed her eyes and groaned. “I’m fine… just a little tired, that’s all.”

“But look at you,” Caleb said, leaning back in his chair. “Did you even sleep?”

Eric chuckled. “I hope you didn’t catch a plague in your sleep,” he added with a grin. That comment shifted everyone’s attention from Ivana to Emily.

Emily fidgeted under their piercing gazes, cheeks flushing.

“Why did you do it?” Ivana asked gently, her curiosity piqued.

“I… uh…” Emily stammered, unable to come up with an excuse.

“Talk, Em,” Eric prompted impatiently.

“It was… too beautiful to resist,” Emily admitted, her voice barely audible.

Caleb shook his head, exasperated. “We’re archaeologists, not thieves. Don’t get carried away admiring everything you see.”

Eric leaned back, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Speaking of thieves… I remember us taking that portrait in Greece.”

Caleb blinked, then laughed, smacking his forehead. “That wasn’t exactly stealing—we kept begging them to let us examine it first. And we returned it, so it was more like borrowing.”

“I second that,” Ivana said, laughing along, the tension in the room easing as light-hearted chatter replaced the morning gloom.Yet the harmonious atmosphere only reminded Ivana of her parents.

Her mind drifted back to the encounter with Anubis—her so called groom.

If he’s truly a god… maybe he could help me find my parents, she thought, her heart thudding. Maybe… just maybe, he can help her find them.

She stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. “Caleb,” she called, her voice firm. “Give me the keys. I need to go somewhere.”

Caleb glanced at her, brow furrowing. “Ivana, you can’t just—”

“The keys, Caleb,” she interrupted, stretching her hand impatiently.

He sighed and handed them over. “Here,” he muttered.

Without another word, Ivana strode to the Jeep, started the engine, and drove off, her mind fixed on the pyramid.

“She’s definitely hiding something,” Emily said quietly, concern etched on her face.

“Let her be,” Caleb replied, sipping his coffee, though a trace of worry lingered in his eyes.

As she neared the pyramid, a shiver ran down her spine.She felt a presence—watching, waiting. A cold certainty settled over her: he knew she was coming.