Death and Desire (Love in Cairo #1)

Chapter Fifteen

J ames. The shadows shifted, and the man materialized in the dark doorway.

Traitorous bastard. Violet quickly scrambled to her feet, wishing she had something to use as a weapon. “What do you want?”

His low chuckle burrowed beneath her skin.

Keeping her attention focused on the man before her, she glanced around the room. Helplessness gripped her as she took in her surroundings. Thin shafts of sunlight entered from narrow windows. Deep shadows shifted with swirling dust and sand.

Seemingly from out of desert air, four figures emerged, effectively sealing her inside the tomblike chamber. Violet pinned James with a glare, ready to strike with whatever means necessary, but she knew she was outnumbered and completely alone.

Anubis, she called into the deepest reaches of her mind, hoping he could hear.

The tether remained slack, useless. Violet swore.

“If you think my father will pay you a ransom for my return, you are sorely mistaken.” She pivoted, ensuring her vision encompassed the whole chamber.

“Ransom?” James asked, his tone affronted. He tsked . “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve already been compensated handsomely.”

Violet’s mind raced with a hundred unknown possibilities. “I–I don’t understand.”

“Poor sweet girl. You don’t know how valuable it is, do you?”

“What?” She shook her head to clear her confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“The bauble on your wrist.” He gestured to the gemstone gleaming in a shaft of sunlight.

Her breath caught in her throat. She clasped her hand around her wrist, cradling the jewel. It warmed and pulsed beneath her touch, like a heartbeat.

“Where on earth did you find such a treasure?” he asked, stalking toward her like a predatory cat.

“None of your goddamned business,” Violet hissed.

“Such a temper.” He snatched her wrist and pulled her to him. “Perhaps I should demand you as part of my payment. Tame that wicked tongue of yours.”

“You’ll have to kill me.” Violet attempted to escape his grip, but it tightened, twisting her skin. “I would rather die than submit to the likes of you.”

“I would relish the challenge.” James’s blue eyes sparkled, darkening as he caressed her jaw.

Sunlight faded as black smoke filled the chamber. Shouts from the hired men echoed through the space as confusion clouded their expressions.

Deep inside her, the bond snapped into place. The comforting presence she’d desperately searched for filled her, expanding until it was infused in every fiber of her being. A gentle caress soothed her mind as the darkness consumed them all.

Violet closed her eyes at the first strangled cry. A smile curved her lips.

James’s grip loosened before disappearing completely. “What the devil—?”

A gust of wind brushed past her. Opening her eyes, she tried to focus in the shrouded dark. Thick like ink, the darkness swirled around them. She saw nothing beyond specks of lingering light burned into her vision before they too vanished completely.

More shouts. Scuffling. The scratch of leather on stone and sand. Choked gasps echoing through the dark.

Then silence.

“Who...where are you?” James asked, his voice deceptively calm. Too calm. “Show yourself.”

Once the light returns, run, Anubis whispered into her thoughts. Don’t look back.

Confidence infused her. Violet braced herself, readying for the moment to break free.

Slowly, the inky dark receded, fading slowly, swirling like smoke against a midnight sky. When the first shaft of sunlight pierced through, she spotted the narrow passageway...and a body lying near it. Without hesitation, she darted to the exit, praying Anubis would distract James long enough for her to escape.

The moment she reached the archway, deep laughter filled the chamber. Her feet dug into the floor, bringing her to a stop.

The laughter was coming from the corridor in front of her, not the chamber behind her.

Violet scrambled back as the smoke coalesced into a pillar of ebony flesh and fury. Anubis. His golden eyes fixed on her before shifting to the corridor and narrowing.

“How quaint.” A deep, melodic voice wove around them. “You found a pet.”

Anubis growled, pulling Violet to his side. “I should have known.”

Confusion filled her, until the unseen foe stepped into the chamber. His flame-colored hair shimmered in thick waves around his face. His green eyes fixed on her before shifting to Anubis.

“By what right have you come, Seth?”

Seth. Who was Seth? Another immortal? Then she remembered the stories—Seth killed his brother, Osiris, and Anubis hunted him down. She gasped at the realization. Their rivalry and animosity were mythical and legendary. She clung to Anubis’s arm, her fingers stark and pale against his black skin. Why was he here? What could he possibly want with her ?

“Am I not free to roam these lands as you are?” Seth regarded Anubis carefully before allowing his gaze to drift casually over her. “Such glorious bounty hidden in these ancient sands.”

“You are free to roam all of Egypt.” Another low growl rumbled from deep within Anubis’s throat. “But you will not touch what belongs to me.”

“This mortal is under your protection.” A sinister smile curved Seth’s lip. “How interesting.”

Violet regarded the two gods with equal measures of fascination and trepidation. Why were they fighting over her? She vaguely remembered reading about the tension between Anubis and Seth, but the stories weren’t an affirmation of their history, merely an interpretation. The two deities stood a few feet apart, locked in silent battle. Her attention drifted to James, standing behind Seth. The man who betrayed her.

As if sensing her attention, James turned in her direction, his eyes blazing with glorified intent. She squared her shoulders, standing taller beside Anubis, allowing his power to imbue her with confidence.

“If only you’d trusted me,” James said with a sigh. “This confrontation could have been avoided.”

“What did he promise you? Riches? Power? Influence?” Violet snarled, wishing she had her derringer to remind him she was not to be trifled with. “You used me.”

He shrugged. “You possessed something he wanted.”

“So you sold me out?” Violet seethed. “You dirty, rotten bastard.”

“He did as I commanded, and in doing so, I will reward him handsomely.” A weighted silence filled the chamber at Seth’s revelation.

Violet inhaled sharply. “You sold your soul.”

“I offered my services in exchange for something more valuable than gold or power.” James sneered at her, standing tall beside his master.

“What could possibly be more valuable?” Violet’s question burned with sarcasm as her blood boiled.

“If he secured the missing piece, I vowed to grant him whatever his heart desired,” Seth replied simply.

Violet looked at James expectantly.

“Immortality,” Anubis said, his voice vibrating through her. “Seth promised him immortality.”

Everything clicked into place. Of course. How could she have been so naive? What man wouldn’t want a thousand lifetimes to accumulate wealth and security?

“Why me?” Violet couldn’t stop the tremor in her voice. “I have nothing of value.”

“But you do,” Seth replied with a smirk. “Something of infinite value.”

Anubis tensed beneath her. “Leave her out of this.”

“That is impossible.” Seth’s amusement lit his eyes from within, and they glowed like emerald flames. His laughter filled the chamber, haunting and melodic in equal measure. “Anubis, you haven’t told her? How interesting.”

“Told me what?” Violet looked at Anubis, studying his profile. The muscle in his jaw flexed. His dark skin absorbed the light, and his golden eyes flashed.

Seth ignored her, his attention fixed on Anubis. “The bond between you is stronger than I anticipated.”

“If you touch her again, by the sun and moon, I will do to you as you did to Osiris.” Anubis’s fury pulsed through her. “There will be none to mourn your absence.”

“Time, it seems, changes nothing.” A deep chuckle rose from Seth. “You always do take things too seriously.”

“The protection of those in my care will always be my priority.” Anubis glared at Seth, his position unwavering as he maintained his vow. “You will leave and never return. Should you provoke me again, I will ensure all memory of you is wiped from the earth.”

“You cannot protect your heart indefinitely, Anubis.” Seth’s laughter followed him as he turned. “Until we meet again, Violet.”

James inclined his head before turning to follow Seth from the room, abandoning the incapacitated men scattered across the dusty floor.

A somber stillness settled around her and Anubis. The familiar cloak of black smoke enveloped them. When it dissipated, gone was the vengeful god of the dead, replaced by the stern but familiar visage of Khalid, her human protector.

Only then did he turn to face her. “Come. Your friends will be concerned for your safety.”

Violet reached out, pressing her hand to his bicep, feeling the warmth of his flesh through the fabric of his shirt. He studied her expression, his dark eyes fathomless and searching.

A thousand questions burned in her mind, lingered on her tongue, but she could not manage to push them past her lips. Not when he looked at her in such a way. Not when the weight of the recent confrontation settled heavily on the air, threatening to suffocate her. She needed fresh air and open skies.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

Khalid inclined his head. “Let us leave this place.”

Violet slipped her hand into his. The thread of comfort wove through her mind. He led her down the corridor with assured steps. She followed a pace behind, their hands clasped tightly.

When they returned to the small bookshop, Violet’s heart nearly burst at the sight of her brother, David, and Dina pacing the narrow entrance.

Isaac spotted her first and ran his hand through his hair. “Where in the devil—?” He stopped short, eyes wide at the sight of her hand in Khalid’s.

Dina and David joined Isaac, their eyes also wide, jaws gaping.

“What happened?” Dina broke the spell and stepped forward to wrap her arms around Violet. “We were so worried.”

Relinquishing her hold on Khalid, Violet embraced her friend. “I shall explain later.”

“Looks like we won’t be going to the pyramids today.” David shoved his hands in his pockets.

“No. I’m fine. I can—” Her breath caught as Isaac took her hand and drew her into his embrace.

“You’re trembling. I don’t know what happened, but you look like you’ve been chased through the desert.” Her brother rubbed her back in a soothing, rhythmic caress. “We need to get you back to the hotel so you can rest, ol’ mum.”

“Your father would have had our hides if we lost you again.” David shoved his hands deeper in his pockets, looking browbeaten and exhausted.

“I turned around, and you were gone.” Dina’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “We searched everywhere for you.”

“It—it’s a long story.” Violet swayed in her brother’s hold, slowly backing from his embrace.

Disappointment filled her, but the thought of venturing away from the safety of the hotel and her family left her trembling. Khalid stood behind her, a pillar of strength. She needed to return to the hotel, to a familiar place. Only then could she organize her thoughts and find answers to her questions.

Violet grasped her brother’s hand. “Promise you won’t tell Father.”

“Vi, you—”

“Promise me.” She held his gaze until he blinked and sighed in defeat.

“Fine.”

“Come then.” Dina took her hand. “Let’s have a lovely tea with decadent almond and apricot cakes.”

“Or a gin cocktail,” Violet said, still feeling unsteady as Dina led her from the shop.

Only when they climbed into the car and it roared to life did Violet realize Khalid was not with them. She frowned, staring out the window. Thoughts of the encounter in the dusty chamber resurfaced.

James claimed she held something valuable, something Seth wanted. But she had nothing. No treasure. No power.

Seth didn’t appear until Anubis came to her defense. What did he mean when he said The bond between you is stronger than I anticipated ? How could he possibly know about it? No one knew of it. Hell, even she didn’t understand it.

But she craved it. Craved him.

Seth’s statement burrowed into her thoughts, uprooting everything into chaos. She would not rest until she knew the meaning. You cannot protect your heart indefinitely. Was he talking about her ?

Anubis , she whispered in her mind. We need to talk.