"Unhand me!" Cleopatra hissed, thrashing against the iron grip that held her.
Maahes barely spared her a glance as he leapt from the crumbling ship onto the sand below. The wreckage burned behind them, casting long shadows against the dunes. Smoke curled into the night sky, but Cleopatra’s fury burned hotter.
"I said, unhand me!" she spat, slamming her fists against his chest. "I am not some prize to be carried off like cattle!"
Maahes tightened his hold. "And yet, I found you in chains."
She stiffened. He had struck a nerve, and he knew it.
Grinding her teeth, Cleopatra twisted in his grasp. "Put me down, you overgrown beast!"
He did.
Roughly.
She landed on the soft sand, her legs nearly giving out beneath her. Cleopatra steadied herself, ignoring the tingling warmth his touch left behind. She was no helpless maiden, no woman to be stolen in the night.
Maahes loomed over her, his golden eyes unreadable. "You fight me, yet I saved you."
"I did not ask for your help."
"You would have drowned," he countered, voice smooth as desert silk.
"I would have found a way."
His smirk was infuriating. "So defiant. A true queen, even in rags."
Cleopatra’s fingers curled into fists. "And what do you want, warrior?" she demanded. "A reward? A throne at my side?"
Maahes stepped closer. The air between them tightened. "You already know what I want."
Something dangerous flickered in his eyes.
Cleopatra’s pulse quickened. She had seen many men—kings, generals, conquerors—but none like him. His presence was suffocating, his power undeniable. And yet, it wasn’t fear that clawed at her.
It was something far more treacherous.
"I owe you nothing," she said firmly.
"Your blood says otherwise."
She stilled.
"My blood?"
Maahes reached out, his fingers brushing against the fresh brand on her shoulder. A sharp jolt shot through her body—hot, electric. She gasped, pulling back as if burned.
"What… what was that?"
His lips curled. "You felt it, didn’t you?"
Cleopatra swallowed, masking her unease with defiance. "You play tricks, barbarian."
"You think this is a trick?" He took her wrist, pressing her palm against his chest.
Heat pulsed beneath her fingertips. A heartbeat—strong, steady, but in sync with her own. She yanked her hand back as if scalded.
"What are you?" she whispered.
His golden eyes gleamed in the firelight. "The one you were meant to find."
No.
No, she would not believe in fate. She was Cleopatra. She made her destiny—she did not submit to it.
She took a step back, then another. The sand shifted beneath her feet, but she would not fall. "Whatever game you play, I will not be a part of it."
"You do not have a choice."
Her chin lifted. "I always have a choice."
His gaze darkened. "Then run."
It was a challenge, a dare. Her breath hitched. Every instinct screamed at her to flee. Yet she hesitated.
Maahes watched, unblinking. "See? Even now, you feel it."
"I feel nothing."
She turned sharply, ready to disappear into the desert. But before she could take another step, the sky erupted with the sound of hooves.
Dozens of riders emerged from the dunes—cloaked in black, swords gleaming under the moonlight.
It’s a trap.
Her stomach dropped.
Maahes exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders. "They’ve come sooner than I expected."
Cleopatra spun to him. "Who are they?"
He glanced at her. "Slavers. The ones who sold you."
Her blood ran cold.
The leader of the riders pulled his horse to a halt, his eyes narrowing on them. "Hand over the woman, and we will spare your life, Lion of Egypt."
Cleopatra’s heart pounded. Maahes had no weapon, no armor. Just himself against an army.
She stepped back. "We need to—"
But he was already moving.
Faster than the wind, faster than thought.
A roar erupted from his chest—deep, primal, inhuman. The riders hesitated. And then, before Cleopatra’s eyes, Maahes changed.
Muscles shifted. Bones cracked. Golden eyes burned brighter as his skin rippled, his form growing larger, more monstrous.
Cleopatra stumbled back, breath catching in her throat.
No. Not a man. A beast. A lion of the gods.
The riders charged.
And Maahes?
Maahes pounced.