Death and Desire (Love in Cairo #1)

Chapter Fourteen

T he following morning , Violet woke alone. No sign of Khalid nor any indication he’d spent the night in her bed. After such an amorous encounter in the garden, she succumbed to the warm embrace of sleep and the man protecting her.

She vaguely remembered him pressing a kiss to her forehead and falling asleep in his arms. In the morning light, nothing had changed.

Except everything had changed. Her body hummed in appreciation of his touch, and the memory lingered like an enticing melody playing over and over in her mind.

Whatever curious pull she felt toward Khalid had now become a complicated arrangement. How was she to navigate her feelings for him when they came from different worlds? She sighed, wishing he was there. They needed to discuss it. Even though she was tempted to call for him through their unspoken bond, Violet hesitated.

Khalid would come to her. He always did.

Instead of wasting time endlessly mulling over something about which she had no control, Violet dressed in a simple, airy dress, perfect for touring the pyramids, then found Isaac and David seated on the restaurant’s veranda, enjoying tea and a lavish breakfast.

“Sister dear, we were worried about you.” Isaac stroked the cat perched in his lap. The dark feline turned her head to Violet, her golden eyes taking passive measure.

Her watchful gaze reminded Violet of Anubis. She shook him from her thoughts and smiled, taking a seat and selecting a sandwich from the plate in the center of the table.

“How was supper last evening?” Isaac asked. “Did Father inquire after us?”

Violet took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, allowing them to stew. They shifted in their seats and exchanged a worried glance.

“He said nothing to me.” She dabbed her mouth with a clean napkin.

David’s eyes narrowed. “You look...happy.”

Her face warmed under his scrutiny. “I am. It’s a lovely day, and you promised to take me to the pyramids.” She poured herself some tea. “Or had you forgotten?”

“Damn,” Isaac cursed, and his feline companion growled her disdain before leaping from his lap and ambling to the garden. “Must we?”

“You must.” Violet hummed with delight at their discomfort.

“What about your man, Khalid? Can’t he accompany you?” David asked. “We...have plans.”

“Plans?” Violet arched a brow, carefully hedging around the mention of her protector. “What plans have you made that supersede the promise you made to me?”

Her brother and David shared a guilty look before turning to her.

“Fine,” Isaac groused. “When do we leave?”

“As soon as Dina arrives.” Violet sipped her tea.

Isaac and David both straightened at the mention of her new friend. They were both quite attentive and willing to escort her whenever she mentioned Dina. Violet should be insulted, but she couldn’t be upset by it. Not when she disliked being fawned and fussed over. Truly, the only reason she’d reminded them of her tour to the pyramids and their promise to escort her was to make them uncomfortable. Part of her enjoyed seeing them writhe with guilt and indecision.

After all, they’d promised.

“Will your shadow be joining us?” David slumped in his seat and folded his arms across his chest.

“I assume so.” She set her tea down.

“There’s something about him,” Isaac mused, rubbing his jaw. “I can’t place it. He’s so...serious.”

Violet suppressed a smile. A flash of black broke through the greenery behind the two men. Her gaze focused on it, smiling at the familiar black hound with golden eyes watching from the shadows. She shook her head and chuckled. Anubis.

The familiar warmth of his presence filled her mind. And just like that, he was gone, the bushes empty.

“What’s funny?” David glanced behind him then back at her. “You’re acting strange, Vi.”

She lifted a shoulder in response. “Can’t I be excited?”

“Excited to see dusty old relics, to walk around until your legs fall off?” Isaac scoffed. “You’re an odd duck.”

“There are far more pleasurable things to do with one’s time here in Cairo,” David muttered beneath his breath.

Violet ignored him. But the word was already emblazoned in her mind, burned into her soul. Pleasurable. He wasn’t wrong. There were wondrous delights waiting to be discovered in Cairo, but not ones she could discuss with her brother and his friend. No, these were secrets she carried like precious gems, kept for her personal enjoyment.

“Good morning.” Dina appeared by her side. “Are we ready to set off?”

“Let me finish my tea.” Isaac tipped his head back and drained the contents of his cup.

The four of them gathered their belongings and left the hotel. David and Isaac led the way, engaged in quiet conversation as they located a car to convey them to the pyramids outside the city. A private car would take them the eleven miles to the site, where a guide would meet them to explore one of the greatest wonders of the world.

Dina leaned closer. “Where’s your handsome bodyguard?”

Violet bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. “I haven’t seen him this morning.”

“Come now, Violet, you cannot tell me you’re not swayed...not even a little bit.”

“He is a formidable protector, I confess.” Violet opened her bag under the pretense of searching for something.

“I’ve seen how he watches you,” Dina whispered conspiratorially. “Like he’s a man starved and you’re the first meal he’s seen in years.”

Flashes of their heated encounter filled her mind. His fingers as the—

She shook the memories away.

A car pulled up, and David motioned for them to get in.

Grateful for the reprieve, Violet climbed into the car. Dina followed close behind. After David and Isaac joined them, the car rumbled down the street.

Violet ignored Dina’s curious glances, thankful when Isaac engaged her friend in conversation. She couldn’t tell her friend the truth about Khalid. Nor could she confess the strong attachment she felt for the man.

But that was the problem. He wasn’t a man. He was Anubis. How could she possibly explain it to her family and friends?

Her gaze settled on the passing buildings and the overflowing streets. They passed another market, then the Nile came into view, stretching like a serpent and coiling through the desert beyond Cairo. In the distance, she glimpsed the pyramids.

They turned down a narrow street and the car came to an abrupt stop, jostling them in a heap.

“What’s the problem?” David asked the driver.

“Tire,” came the response, littered with foreign expletives.

They filed out of the car, and Violet waited with Dina while her brother and David helped the driver locate the spare.

“What’s that?” Violet pointed to a shop sign glinting in the morning sun.

“Oh, it looks like a bookshop.”

“Shall we investigate while we wait?” Violet asked.

“Of course.” Dina’s smile widened.

A bell chimed when they entered the shop. Books lined the shelves from ceiling to floor. Every surface was overburdened with books of all sizes and shapes.

“Welcome.” The shopkeeper, seated on a stool, looked up from his book. “Can I help you?”

“Actually, I’m looking for a book for my father,” Dina said, approaching him. Their conversation faded as Violet ventured further into the shop.

It was far larger than she’d anticipated. Her fingertips traced the spines of the leatherbound tomes. The scent of aged leather and faded, well-read pages brought memories of adventures to bookshops in London with her mother when she was a girl.

After plucking a book from the shelf, Violet opened it, scanning the pages printed with Arabic. There were others written in English and French, and she searched the titles for something familiar.

She glanced toward the front of the shop, but her sight was hindered by large bookshelves in the center of the room. To her right, a curtain covered a doorway. She skirted around it, not wanting to cross into someone’s private area. As she passed, the curtain fluttered in her wake.

A firm hand gripped her arm, pulling her through the doorway. Before she could scream, another hand clamped over her mouth. Darkness surrounded her as they towed her into a stone tunnel.

A scream caught in her throat, and she tried to bite the hand firmly sealed over her lips.

“No use fighting, sweetheart.” A man’s hoarse murmur grated her eardrums. “He’s waiting for you.”

Terror seized her. She struggled against her captor, but his strength held fast. He laughed at her panicked attempts to free herself. No matter how hard she fought, it was useless.

Pinching her eyes closed, she focused all her energy in her mind. Anubis! she shouted. Help me!

The familiar comforting touch never appeared. Wherever she was, he could not hear her.

Anubis, where are you?

Silence filled the cloudy void between them. Panic consumed her. There was nothing. He could not hear her. If he could not hear her, he could not come for her. Horror replaced panic as the realization took hold.

When they reached a large stone chamber, the brute threw her to the floor. Rough pebbles bit her palms as she caught herself. Pulling herself to her feet, she stumbled and collapsed again.

A plume of dust rose around her. She coughed and waved her hands, trying to clear the air.

“How lovely you could join us.”

Ice filled her veins at the familiar voice echoing around her in the dim chamber. Dread filled her, settling like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach.

Her instincts had been right. She’d been a fool to ignore them.