Mistress of Sky and Stars Read online

  Mistress Of Sky And Stars

  Forgotten Gods: Origins #1

  Laura Greenwood

  Contents

  A Note On The Gods & Goddesses Of The Forgotten Gods Universe

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Author Note

  Read more from the Forgotten Gods series…

  Senet

  Also by Laura Greenwood

  About the Author

  © 2021 Laura Greenwood

  * * *

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address; [email protected].

  Visit Laura Greenwood’s website at:

  www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk

  Cover by LSK Designs

  Mistress Of Sky And Stars is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  If you find an error, you can report it via my website. Please note that my books are written in British English: https://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/report-error.html

  To keep up to date with new releases, sales, and other updates, you can join my mailing list via my website or The Paranormal Council Reader Group on Facebook.

  Created with Vellum

  Blurb

  Nut knows she shouldn't spend all of her time with Geb, but she can't help herself when she's around him.

  When their forbidden relationship is discovered, the other gods take steps that Nut never thought possible and bans her from giving birth to the children she's carrying.

  Can she find enough allies to reverse the decision and have her babies before it's too late?

  -

  Mistress of Sky and Stars is a Forgotten Gods: Origins story which features Nut and Geb as they embark on their forbidden romance. It is based on Ancient Egyptian creation myths and mythology.

  A Note On The Gods & Goddesses Of The Forgotten Gods Universe

  Due to the span of Ancient Egyptian history, many gods and goddesses took on multiple roles over the span of time (as demonstrated in The Queen Of Gods Trilogy by Hathor's multitude of aspects). In most cases, the gods and goddesses in the fictional Forgotten Gods Universe have been given one of their various aspects. The family links the Ancient Egyptians formed between their gods weren't meant to represent blood family, but aspect ties. This is why many of the gods and goddesses are consorts with their siblings. In the context of the Forgotten Gods Universe, none of the gods are related to one another by blood, but many choose to create family bonds.

  You can see a full list of Gods & Goddesses in the Forgotten Gods Universe, as well as other definitions and information, on my website or in the Ani’s Archives Facebook Reader Group.

  Chapter One

  The feast was in full swing, and as normal, no one was bothering to talk to me. I wasn't sure why they bothered inviting me, really.

  Actually, that wasn't true. They invited me because there were so few gods in existence. They couldn't leave me out of it. Perhaps in time as more of us came into being, they'd leave me to do my own thing, instead of insisting I sat down at the feast. It would be better if Tefnut deigned to talk to me, but the other goddess didn't like to, even if she was the one who had created me in a sense.

  I supposed that made her my Mother, but that wasn't really the way things worked. Like all of the other gods, I came from the power surrounding the world. While I could call some of them my family if I wanted to, there was no real shared blood between us. Family was something that we chose to be to one another, and Tefnut had decided against any kind of bond with me.

  Scanning the room for anyone who wasn't busy proved futile. Ra was sitting on his throne lording it over the rest of us, while Atum stayed aloof on his. For some reason, they considered themselves above us because they'd been some of the first gods to come into existence, even though the rest of us had followed quickly enough.

  It was a shame Khonsu wasn't here. He was always a lot of fun, but he was busy dealing with his duties as the god of the moon. Before long, I'd need to leave to deal with my own too.

  My gaze latched onto a recess behind Thoth's head, and a shadowed figure waved at me.

  I didn't even need to see them properly to know who it was. My heart skipped a beat.

  Geb. Created at the same time as me, and the one person who seemed to actually see me. He wasn't family, but for a whole different reason to why Tefnut wasn't.

  I got to my feet and slowly walked past the feasting gods and towards where Geb was waiting. None of them questioned where I was going, they didn't care.

  Geb had retreated further back into the dimly lit corridor so he couldn't be seen from the main hall.

  Well, so we couldn't be seen.

  He reached out and caught my hand in his, pulling me further into the darkness.

  "Nut." The reverence when he said my name was hard to ignore. Not that I wanted to.

  "We shouldn't be doing this," I whispered hastily.

  A knowing smile spread over Geb's face. "We were made to do this."

  I bit my bottom lip, trying not to give in to the temptation in front of me. "Just because we were created to do something, it doesn't mean we have to do it," I pointed out.

  He reached for me and tugged me into his arms.

  A tiny part of me wanted to protest against us, but the rest of me screamed for more of his touch. It was as if something deep within us connected on a level I couldn't begin to comprehend.

  No matter how many times I'd tried to stay away from Geb, we always ended up back in one another's arms.

  "I won't force you," he murmured, his breath fanning against the delicate skin of my neck. "If you tell me you don't want to spend time together again, then I'll respect that." I didn't miss the hint of doubt in his voice. Not that he thought he wouldn't respect me, but because he knew it was pointless to try to deny this.

  I reached up and cupped his cheek in my hand. "I never thought you would," I promised. "You're too good of a man to even consider it."

  A doting smile stretched over his face, and sincere innocence entered his gaze as he looked at me. One thing I was more certain of than ever was that Geb had no idea how dangerous what we were doing was. We might have been created to be a pair as the sky and the ground, but I doubted the other gods would like the closeness of the bond between us. Peace was fragile enough as it was, we didn't need to make it worse.

  I glanced over my shoulder, checking that none of the others had followed us from the feast. Once I was certain they hadn't, I pulled Geb to me with the hem of his tunic and crushed my lips against his.

  He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tighter and deepening our kiss. I melted into him, knowing that the fact the others would frown upon us doing this only served to make us want it more. They'd created two halves of a whole with me and Geb, which made it impossible to fight what was between us.

  Not that I really wanted to. Up until the moment we'd given in to our feelings, I'd never really considered this kind of relationship. I doubted if any of the other gods had either. It was something none of us had a need for according to our state of being.

  But when I was with Geb, everything seemed so right. As if the wrongs of the world no longer existed, and everything was about the two of us and how we existed relevant to one another. It put everything else I'd ever wanted into perspective.

  We pulled away from one another, and simply stood for a moment, our breathing ragged and our gazes locked. His hazel eyes bored into me, seeing the truth in my soul that no one else had even tried to find.

  "You're sparkling," he whispered.

  I broke eye contact with him to glance down at my arms. Sure enough, my dark blue skin glittered despite the dim light.

  I sighed. "Having starlight embedded in my skin doesn't bode well for managing to sneak around," I quipped.

  "I think it's beautiful." He reached out and brushed my cheek with the tips of his fingers. I assumed that must mean the stars were shining there too.

  "It might be, but it also makes life more difficult than it has to be."

  "Can you turn it off?" he asked.

  I frowned. Could I? Now there was a question. From what I could see, the brightness of the stars on my skin varied based on my emotions, and the happiness I felt when I was alone with Geb has brought them out this time. But I'd never tried getting rid of them. Like all of the other gods, I could change aspects of my appearance at will, and sometimes create glamours. I'd made myself the same deep bronze as Tefnut once, but had turned my skin back to its natural dark blue after a matter of hours. It felt more me that way. But I hadn't erased the stars. I didn't want to. They were part of me and my role.

  "I don't think so, but I've never tried," I voiced my thoughts aloud so he could be part of them.

  "Never do," he responded, taking me a little by surpris
e. "They're part of what makes you who you are. I wouldn't want that to change."

  A small smile spread over my face as warmth rose inside me. I wanted him to feel that way about me, more than I wanted to be that way about myself.

  Raucous laughter sounded from the direction of the feasting hall, pulling me away from the tension between us.

  "We should get back." It was hard to keep the disappointment out of my voice. If it was up to me, I'd be able to spend all the time with Geb that I wanted, but we both had duties which couldn't be ignored, and one of those was to spend time with the other gods so that humans knew where we were should they need our help. Personally, I thought we should find a better system. It was counterproductive for all of us to be on call at all moments of the day. We should have help. There was no way we could keep up this amount of work and support for the human race if we didn't have people helping.

  But no one would listen to me if I suggested we started some kind of priesthood, they didn't seem to think I was important enough. I couldn't even get Geb to voice the idea for me as they felt the same way about him.

  Nothing about this system was going to work for a long time.

  "I can come to your chambers tonight, if you want?" he asked, bringing me back to the present.

  I nodded. "I would."

  He pulled me in and pressed another swift kiss against my lips. I melted into him once more, accepting everything he had to give me and still hoping for more.

  In a moment, we'd have to return to the feast and the other gods, but we could be the two of us for a moment or two longer first.

  Chapter Two

  I listened for the tell-tale footsteps outside my door which would announce Geb's arrival. Thankfully, my chambers were large enough that no one would think twice about someone stopping by. And even if they did, they wouldn't immediately jump to the right conclusion. It was only going to be a problem if the others noticed how much time Geb and I were spending together.

  Which meant we should stop. Despite knowing that, I couldn't find it within myself to even consider it. I wanted to spend every day with him. It'd be every hour if I could. None of the other gods ever talked about feeling this way. Was there something wrong with me?

  No. That wasn't possible. Feeling this good couldn't be wrong. I refused to accept that.

  The beaded curtain covering the door rattled as Geb stepped through it and into my room. My heart skipped a beat as he strode over to me, his confidence only inspiring more of my need to spend time with him.

  "Did anyone see you?" I asked. I might want to be with him, but that didn't mean the other gods would be particularly understanding if they'd seen him coming into my rooms. One visit wasn't going to raise any eyebrows, but visits almost every day was a different story. Which was why it was easier for us to be cautious all the time. There'd be fewer chances of anyone picking up a pattern and working out what was going on.

  "I don't think so."

  Geb reached out and pulled me to him, but I put a hand on his chest to stop him from coming any closer. Just for a moment. I wasn't about to stop something that ultimately made me happy. I wasn't a fool.

  "Are you sure?" Sometimes, I didn't think he was as serious about keeping things under wraps as I was. I didn't know why when the fallout would impact him too, but it always seemed to come down to me to keep us safe.

  "Nut..."

  I sighed. "I'm sorry."

  He reached out and brushed a strand of dark hair away from my cheek. "I promise, I understand why this is important."

  "I know."

  "Do you? Sometimes I'm not so sure..."

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. There was no way he was going to turn this around on me.

  "I know you understand," I started, even though he was right, and I wasn't completely convinced of that yet. "But sometimes, you don't act like it."

  "All right, I'll make more of an effort to make absolutely sure I'm not followed when I come to meet you."

  "Thank you," I whispered.

  Reassured, at least for the moment, I snaked my arm around his neck and pulled him down so our lips met. I melted into our kiss, relieved that the serious part of the evening was over and we could focus on something which would be much more fun for both of us.

  I broke the kiss with the intention of pulling him further into my rooms and to the part I used as a bedchamber. No one would bother me there, and we'd be safe. At least until it was time for Geb to leave.

  Voices came from down the hall outside my rooms, and both of us froze in position. We exchanged worried glances, then pulled apart, but didn't move away from one another. There was a chance, however slim, that whoever was coming this way didn't want to talk to me, and if that was the case, then we were in the clear.

  Somehow, I didn't think we were in luck.

  "I'm just going to go and see Nut..." Taweret's voice drifted through the beaded door.

  Great. She was far from the worst person to be coming in our direction, I actually liked the protection and fertility goddess, but it would mean we'd be seen together. Whether or not she reported it to the other gods would depend on if she thought it was noteworthy for Geb to be here. I ran through the other times we'd been caught, trying to recall whether or not she'd witnessed us together, but it was pointless, I'd always been focusing on other things.

  "The senet board," I whispered, pointing to where the board game had been abandoned mid-game a few nights ago when we'd gotten distracted.

  Geb nodded as he walked away from me and towards one of the reed mats next to the board for us to sit on.

  I took a moment to compose myself. I wouldn't have long enough to check my reflection in the polished gold plate in the other room, which was a pity. Straightening my dress and making sure my hair wasn't wildly out of place. It would have to do.

  I scanned the room to make sure nothing was out of place, though I knew it wasn't anyway, we hadn't been here long enough. My gaze snagged on a pitcher of water and two goblets, so I scooped them up. It would help make it look like we'd been playing for longer than we had.

  With a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure Taweret wasn't about to walk into the room right away, I hurried over to Geb and handed him one of the goblets, before splashing the cool water into it.

  The beads rustled as I was finishing. My heart pounded faster than was entirely comfortable, but I plastered a smile on my face all the same.

  "Ah, Nut, you aren't alone," Taweret said, though there wasn't even a hint of accusation in her voice. We might be able to get away with this after all.

  "No, Geb and I are in the middle of a game of senet, I'd invite you to play, but..." I waved my hand. It was the only game any of us partook in, I didn't need to tell her that it was only for two players.

  She waved my apology away. "It's no trouble, I'm not very good at it anyway."

  "Ah."

  "Tefnut sent me."

  I grimaced. What did she want? "Oh, is everything all right?"

  Taweret shrugged. "Who knows with her. I think she just didn't want to go through the effort of getting off and coming to find you herself."

  I raised an eyebrow. That was almost disapproval in the other goddess' voice. I wasn't about to push her to elaborate though. The last thing I needed was for my dislike of Tefnut to get back to her. She wasn't the kind of woman who would let it slide.

  "What does she want?" I asked.

  "She wanted you to know that she expects you to wait on her at the next festival."

  I sighed. "And she felt the need to send a messenger for that?"

  Something like amusement flitted over the other woman's tanned face. "Apparently."

  "Thank you for telling me," I said as politely as I could muster. It wasn't Taweret's fault that Tefnut was using her as a lowly messenger, and I wasn't about to alienate a powerful deity just because one of my creators wanted to be petty. That would make me as bad as her, and if there was one thing I was determined to do, it was to stay classier than Tefnut.