Free Sekhmet's Curse (Pearl Vampire Chronicles) by Dara Nelson

to you is to study and learn Egyptian hieroglyphics quickly , as you will need that .   Do you understand?”
    I nodded, “Yes.  We will be there.”
    With nod of her head and a quick flash, she was gone but the pounding of my heart in my chest would take a while to disappear .  We stood there silently for several minutes.  Finally, Carlos mumbled into my neck, “You can’t go, Sarah.  You just can’t.”  From the other side of my neck, Matt whispered, “I never should have turned you, Sarah.  I’m so sorry.  I never should have turned you.”
    I sighed, stepped back and looked at both of them, “Aw, guys, don’t, please.  Matt, we’ve been over this many times.  I love what I am and have no regrets.  And, Carlos, I have to go or she’ll kill you , and I won’t let that happen .” 
    I turned to Bahiti – our resident hieroglyphics expert , “Well, I guess I’m going to be spending a lot of time with you, aren’t I?”  She nodded with sad eyes.  Finally I turned to Jason, “Okay.  Now, Jason.  Please believe me when I say that my only focus right now is on finding your father.  It’s the only thing that I’m thinking about.  It’s the only thing I’m working on.  No studying.  No worrying about this Sekhmet business.  Just him.   Only him.   I will find him.  Okay?”
    He stared for a few seconds, studying me.  Finally I saw a bit of the worry and panic leave his face and he nodded.  I turned back to Matt and Carlos. 
    “ It’ s time to think.  Where the hell have I been that you two have not?  A place that doesn’t have access to any human blood ?   I mean, before I was changed, I was with one or the other of you at all times, except when I was sleeping.  And I’m pretty sure Carlos was in the area, if not the room, even then,” I smiled at him and he kissed my temple. 
    “You got that right, darlin ,” he said, making me smile.
    “Okay, so we can cross off everywhere we went before I was changed.  Then we were here.  After we got married we were always together.  We’ve been to the island together, so it’s not there.  The only place I’ve been without you two was when I was with Aquila, but she said it was some place that he’s never been.  God, where could it be?”
    I was growing more and more frantic and Matt could easily see that.  He gently pushed me down into one of the chairs and sat in another, facing me.  “Maybe it will come to you if you think about people you’ve been with.  Like, start with Malina.  Did she take you anywhere besides the cave?  When she had me, were you always with Carlos or did you go anywhere by yourself?”
    I scrunched up my face and tried really hard to think of something, anything.  But I shook my head, “No.  She only took me to the cave and Carlos never left my side.  I was only away from you guys when I was with Aquila.  Shit, this is friggin hopeless…..JONAS!” I yelled, making them all jump.  “It was the island that he flew me to when he took me from our island , Matt.   Remember?  The one where I talked to him and convinced him to bring me back and stay with us for a while to see if he and I could be friends?   That’s where he is.  But, shit, I don’t know where it i s.  He flew so damn fast , it was like holding on to a bullet in the sky .”
    “Yeah, but now we have a place to start, Sarah.  Let’s get our asses to our island and start looking,” Carlos said.  I nodded, started to get up, but stopped.   I looked at Jason, standing there completely naked with huge wings attached to his back.  “Ummm, do you think Stefan’s plane is available?  We can’t very well travel commercial, you know?”
    Matt pulled out his cell phone, but Jason tried to stop him.  “I can fly on my own.  I flew here from the cave where I was raised, you know.”
    I tried to suppress my smile.  He sounded just like a stubborn child trying so hard to grow up.  Just like Scotty.  My mouth dropped