Death and Desire (Love in Cairo #1)

Chapter Nine

W ith a gasp, Violet lurched forward, her eyes wide, taking in the familiar hotel room at the Continental. Memories wrapped around her like thin, shifting mist. Dreams, perhaps. She ran a hand over her face. Yes, most certainly dreams.

And yet, the strength of Anubis’s conviction and his confession drove a sliver of doubt deep into her heart.

“You’re quite safe now, Violet.”

She spun, searching for the source of the familiar voice. Her father looked ten years older when he entered the room. The gray at his temples caught the morning light and highlighted the deep furrow of his brow.

“You gave us quite the scare.” He sat in a chair beside her bed. “How in the devil did you manage to tumble overboard?”

“I...don’t remember,” Violet lied. She remembered bits and pieces, but she knew she hadn’t fallen overboard by accident. Someone had attacked her. It happened so quickly, she’d barely had time to react, let alone gather details. Unfortunately, like the rest of her recent memories, she didn’t trust the impressions. Too much blurred the line between myth and reality.

“Fortunately for you, Khalid is an accomplished swimmer and has no fear of crocodiles.” He gestured to the door behind him.

Violet’s gaze followed the motion, and she frowned at the handsome man who had saved her life. His dark eyes settled on her with a soft but impassive expression. He acted as though rescuing her was nothing out of the ordinary. Her eyes narrowed in scrutiny, but he didn’t flinch. Not even a twitch in his strong jaw.

“Thanks to Khalid’s quick thinking and agile abilities, he managed to pull you from the river and sought shelter until a group of travelers brought you both back to Cario.” Her father’s loving smile warmed her heart. “I don’t know what I would have done had you...”

Reaching out, Violet took his hand and squeezed it. “All will be well. I’m here now, safe and sound. Accidents happen.”

A shadow passed over her father’s expression. “Where was your brother during all of this?”

“I don’t know. Enjoying himself with the rest of the guests. It doesn’t matter.” Violet said, hoping to divert her father’s ire from her brother and his friend. It wasn’t their fault she’d fallen overboard. How could they have prevented it? She cringed at the thought of them following her every waking moment.

“Hopefully, he is at breakfast, waiting.” Father stood, releasing her hand. “Do you feel well enough to join us?”

“I think so.” She mentally assessed her position and pressed a hand to her head. Whatever ache she’d had was gone. How strange. She could have sworn she’d hit her head...

Unless...

Her gaze shifted to Khalid who stood aside as her father approached. The corner of his mouth twitched, as if in amusement.

“I shall leave you to get dressed. Come down directly.”

Violet nodded, but her father was already halfway out the door.

“Good man.” He patted Khalid on the shoulder before he left. “Keep an eye on her, will you?”

The door clicked closed. Khalid seemed to fill the room once her father left, crossing his massive arms over his chest.

“Are you going to watch me dress?” she snapped, throwing back the blankets, careless about her state of disarray.

His head cocked to the right, as though assessing her. The heat of his gaze drifted over her bare shoulder and down her linen nightgown. She was covered, but against the light from the window, she knew he saw every curve beneath the white fabric, outlined in the glow of sunshine.

“Your father asked me to watch over you.”

Violet scoffed. “I don’t think he meant literally every second of the day.”

He shrugged.

“Can you give me some privacy?” she asked, her irritation slowly rising to a boil.

“Why would you require privacy?” He regarded her with seriousness. “It is not as if I haven’t seen all of you before.”

A soft gasp ripped from her chest, and her face warmed. “That was a dream.”

“Not a dream.”

“So I...died.”

Khalid heaved a sigh. “You were close to death, yes. But I saved you.”

“Your palace? The healing waters?” She swallowed hard. “The blood moon over an endless sea.”

“The world between,” he clarified, arching a brow. “You remember it?”

“Every detail.” She licked her lips. “I thought it was a dream.”

“Interesting.” He stroked his jaw. “What else do you remember?”

“You.” Violet swallowed a lump in her throat as she crossed the room. Stopping a breath from his imposing form, she reached out and brushed her fingertips along his cheek. “This face...it is not yours?”

Khalid inhaled sharply, his eyes as dark as a moonless summer night. “No.”

“Tell me I imagined it,” Violet whispered.

“I cannot.” His voice rumbled through her.

Violet dropped her hand, as though burned by his touch. “Is it true?”

“Is what true?” he asked, his voice gentle but firm.

“Are you Anubis, god of the dead?”

“You already know the answer, Violet.” He searched her face, his own a mask of indifference. “I have shown you all you need to know.”

His evasive answer left her irritated and bitter. She couldn’t trust her own mind nor anyone around her. They would never believe her. She had no choice but to trust this stranger, this man who claimed to be the god of the dead.

But that was an imagined memory. It wasn’t real. Right?

Do you doubt me, little thief?

The words filtered through her mind in his voice. She blinked twice, certain his lips hadn’t moved.

“What?”

So you can hear me. A wicked smile curved his lips.

Violet’s eyes widened and her body tensed. “You...I...did you just...”

We have a bond now, Violet. We can converse mind-to-mind, without ever speaking a word.

She stumbled back, nearly tripping over the chair her father had occupied. “This cannot be real.”

Believe it or not. The bond is sealed.

“How?” She clutched her throat. “Because you saved me?”

Our bond goes back further than that, little one.

“I don’t understand.” She gripped the chair, digging her fingernails into fabric and wood.

One day you will.

“Get out,” Violet snapped, her restraint finally severed in irritation.

“Your father...”

“You can wait outside the door.”

Khalid snapped his mouth closed, his jaw clenched, his plush lips pressed in a thin line. He grasped the handle and wrenched open the door.

Violet watched him retreat from the room, placing a solid barrier between them. Even alone, she found it hard to resist his draw, the desire to call him back, to keep him within arm’s reach.

This was madness. Bond? What bond?

Shoving the thoughts aside, Violet tore the nightgown over her head and stalked to the wardrobe to retrieve a dress for the day’s adventures.

What adventures? She snorted. Her father would never allow her to leave the hotel after the fiasco on the Nile. How could she possibly convince him she was in no peril?

Her father’s insistence that Khalid remain a vigilant watchman would certainly cause frustration in the long term, but there had to be a way around it. If only she could discover a plan to help her evade him?

You cannot hide from me, little thief.

“Get out of my head!” she shouted to the closed door.

A gentle brush against her mind eased her tension.

“Khalid?”

Nothing.

“Anubis?”

Silence.

Violet sighed in relief. At last, some peace.

It seemed there was a way to erect a barrier between them, but it was solely in his control. She swore. Curse him.

After she dressed, Violet ventured down to join her father and brother for breakfast, Khalid walking three paces behind her, as silent and still as a shadow. When she joined her family in the garden, a flurry of questions descended upon her.

“Vi, what the hell happened? We were worried sick!” Isaac bombarded her the moment she took her seat.

With a sigh, she explained her vague memories of the night and deferred to Khalid, who sat beside her, to fill in the gaps. She couldn’t even bear to meet his gaze as he spun the tale. Her gut turned as she stirred her coffee and took a sip of the lukewarm brew.

Was that to your satisfaction, Violet? His gentle whisper caressed her mind.

Go to hell, Anubis, she snapped, praying she replied in her mind and not aloud.

Fortunately, her father and brother were locked in an animated discussion, effectively shutting her out...though she was the obvious topic of conversation.

Are you still angry at me? The soft question drifted into her mind.

Is the sky blue? She nibbled a piece of fruit, unable to enjoy it.

It is blue, but that does not answer my question.

Violet rolled her eyes in exasperation. It means yes , you immortal idiot.

If you give me what I desire, I shall leave you in peace.

Violet stilled, the cup of coffee trembling in her hand. What did that mean? She studied his impassive expression. The man might as well be carved from stone—not a flicker of emotion, not a hint of compassion. Had he some other plan for her?

If I wanted you dead, I would have let you drown.

She glowered at him. Get out of my head.

Would you prefer I speak the words aloud and expose your thoughts to those present? The corner of his lip twitched.

What do you want from me? She impatiently tapped her finger on the side of the cup.

Return what was stolen.

Violet bristled. I told you before, I have stolen nothing. She set the cup down, sloshing coffee over the rim, earning her a warning glare from her father, still conversing with Isaac.

Khalid handed her a clean napkin to dab the mess. It only made it worse. She sighed in exasperation. He rested his finger on her wrist, tracing the outline of the jewel inlaid in the gold band.

This does not belong to you, little one.

Snatching her hand back, she cradled it to her chest and let the comfort of its presence soothe her agitation. My mother gave it to me. She bought it from a vendor in Cairo.

He regarded her for a long moment and inclined his head. This may be true, but it does not change the fact that it was stolen from its resting place.

Violet gasped. “Grave robbers.” The words slipped from her lips, and both her father and brother turned to her.

“What did you say?” Isaac asked, his brow furrowed.

“Oh.” She forced a smile. “Just remembering something I read in the museum.” Violet picked at the scone on her plate and broke a piece off.

“Perhaps you should take a turn in the garden, my dear. Get some air. Sunlight will do wonders for your constitution,” her father suggested.

She heard the dismissal in his tone and embraced it. “That sounds wonderful.”

Pushing away from the table, she stood. Khalid mimicked her movement.

“Keep a close eye on her, Khalid.”

It took all her effort not to snap at her father. She was tired of being followed everywhere. And yet, she vaguely remembered darkness swallowing her before going overboard. A chill wracked her with the hazy memory. Who would dare do such a thing...and why?Better yet, would they attack again?

Ignoring the burning heat of Khalid’s presence and the frustration boiling in the pit of her stomach, she wove through the restaurant until she found an entrance to the small garden tucked inside the hotel.

Violet nodded politely to a couple passing her on the pathway. She found a quiet alcove with shade and dappled sunlight, then stepped aside and rounded on Khalid.

“How dare you?” She jabbed him square in the chest with a fingertip. “Was this your plan all along? Get close to me, then steal the gift my mother gave me.”

“It was not her gift to give.” Khalid’s dark eyes absorbed sunlight.

The memory of his other form took root in the back of her mind, making her breath hitch.

This was no man of flesh and blood. This was Anubis , god of the dead. She challenged him at every turn, and even after he revealed his true form, she didn’t believe him. Her head ached. Pressing a hand to her temple, she groaned.

“Why must you torment me?” Violet collapsed onto a bench beneath a tree.

Khalid sat beside her, taking up nearly all the space. He consumed the air around her and filled it with heat and tension. Whatever this was between them, it was beyond sexual.

“This is not torment, little one.” His deep voice remained low, wrapping around her like a warm blanket and drawing her close.

“If you want this so desperately, why didn’t you take it when you saved me?” She held his fathomless gaze in her own.

“One cannot take that which is not freely given.”

“More riddles.” Violet frowned. “Why do you not speak plainly?”

“My meaning is clear.”

Violet pinched the bridge of her nose to stave off a headache. Nothing is clear.

“Would you prefer I leave you alone?”

“Yes,” Violet ground out, even though her mind screamed no.

“It seems you are conflicted.”

She glared at him. “Wouldn’t you be conflicted if the man charged to protect you revealed himself to be an immortal being who only cares about a jewel?”

“That is only part of the conflict warring inside you.”

“Only part?” Violet blinked at him, her breath catching in her throat.

“Yes.”

She straightened, steeling herself to block him from her mind. From reading her most intimate thoughts. Thoughts she should not be having about him.

“Your father. Your brother. They treat you like a delicate creature who will break at the slightest challenge.”

He reached out and brushed an errant curl from her cheek. The heat of his fingers grazed her skin, igniting fireworks of need deep in her chest.

“You long to be free from their overbearing concern.”

“I know my own mind.” Violet’s voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. “Perhaps you would be wise to remain out of it, since you cannot possibly understand.”

Khalid dropped his hand. “You need not fear me.”

“I don’t.”

Violet ignored the hum of tension pulling them closer. His heat surrounded her.

“You fear how I make you feel .”

Violet shot to her feet. “Stay out of my head!”

Before he could respond, she raced from the garden, returning to her room. Safely inside her sacred space, she threw herself onto the bed and screamed into a pillow. Her muffled cries echoed in her head.

Violet rolled onto her back, staring at the canopy. She longed to explore Cairo and the vast mysteries of Egypt, but she was trapped. No matter where she went, Khalid would follow. And now, he not only invaded her solitude and her thoughts, he invaded her mind , reading her like an open book. Could this possibly get any more complicated?

Her skin prickled at the memory of his touch. She couldn’t deny her attraction to him began the moment they met on the dance floor. Their time together had only solidified her curiosity and fascination. The revelation of his true form had been...off-putting, but it didn’t scare her. Nothing about him scared her.

He was right.

Violet was terrified of the burgeoning emotion toward him. No good could come of it. She couldn’t avoid him forever. But if she could steal a day to herself...perhaps...

Could she manage such a feat alone?

Perhaps Dina could help her.