Death and Desire (Love in Cairo #1)

Chapter Twenty

T here were worse things than waking in the arms of a man who was not truly a man.

Violet stirred against him, snuggling closer to his warmth, admiring his sleeping profile. For the first time since she arrived in Cairo, she was blissfully content. Dawn sunlight breaking through the window highlighted the strong curve of his jaw. She could look at him for hours.

Lying in his embrace, she savored the moment, basking in the stillness of morning and his company. He was devilishly handsome as a man, but as a god, a form others revered and feared, Violet found nothing but beauty and never-ending curiosity. This man consumed her.

“You have questions,” Khalid said simply, his eyes still closed.

Violet warmed, feeling a blush of shame at being caught studying him in repose. “Of course. Who wouldn’t have a thousand questions?”

He turned toward her, his dark eyes alight with amusement. “Whatever you wish to know, I will do my best to supply an honest response.”

The soft fabric of the sheet covering them both slipped as she elevated herself to peer down at him. His gaze darkened as he followed her curves to the bare breasts pressed against his side. She reveled in the heat simmering between them. Not only were there no physical barriers between them, he’d removed all others with his statement.

Khalid...Anubis lay before her with a lifetimes spanning the gap between them. She longed to ask him questions about the past. Ancient Egypt. Other deities. The afterlife. But only one question took possession of her mind with such ferocity, she could not contain it.

“Why me?” Her voice should have broken on those two words, but vocalizing them laid her fears to rest. A sense of peace settled around her.

“I do not have that answer.” Khalid brushed an auburn curl from her cheek and cradled her jaw in his hand. “But I thank Ra every day for the unexpected and wondrous gift.”

“Gift?”

“When I asked Ra to remove my heart, I fully expected him to destroy it. I was willing to make that sacrifice, to do what must be done to uphold my vow and my honor.” Khalid’s soft smile didn’t meet his eyes. “The jewel holding my heart was a complication.”

“Why?” Violet asked, entranced.

“It left me vulnerable. Had he destroyed my heart, I would have been free of its restraints.” He smoothed his thumb across her lower lip, and heat unfurled inside her. “Instead of destroying it or allowing it to destroy me, the jewel led me to you.”

Her breath caught at the implication of his words.

Khalid shifted, rising to meet her eye-to-eye. “Destiny brought us together, my little flower.”

He held his hand, palm up, between them, and black smoke curled in a circle, swirling like a small thundercloud in his hand.

Violet trembled as the thick black smoke thinned with every rotation. Finally, it dissipated completely, leaving her stunned when all that remained was the jeweled bracelet her mother had given her.

“Take it,” Khalid proffered.

“But...your heart?” Violet blinked as he placed the jewel on her wrist, where it had been safe for years.

“My heart is where it belongs.” He cradled her face in his hands, and she melted into his touch. “It is yours.”

Tears filled her eyes. His lips brushed hers with a tender kiss, igniting a flame of desire. She clung to him as he pulled her down onto the bed, their limbs tangling together in the soft sheets.

A soft knock at the door cooled the heat in her blood. She placed a hand on Khalid’s chest, and he paused, lips hovering over hers. Their breaths mingled in passionate repose.

The knock came again, followed by a familiar voice.

“Vi, are you awake?” Isaac’s voice echoed through the door. “Father is worried about you.”

“I’m fine,” she called back. “Just slept in. Give me thirty minutes.”

“We’ll be in the garden.”

“I’ll be there shortly.” Violet’s breathless reply disappeared in Khalid’s insistent mouth.

“I could take us both away. Time means nothing in my world.” His lips blazed a path along her jaw, stealing away rational thought.

“If they find us together...” Violet’s thoughts became muddled in his ministrations. “My father will—”

“I do not fear your father or your brother.” His dark gaze met hers, blazing with hunger. “You are mine , Violet. Make no mistake about it.”

The pressure around her heart released. He meant it. Every word.

She swallowed the lump of uncertainty in her throat. “We are from different worlds, Anubis. You are a god, I am...mortal. How can we possibly make this last?”

“There are ways.” He kissed her again, a soft promise. “Trust me.”

Violet nodded, but fear wrapped around her subconscious, leaving her uneasy. How could he make such a vow? She shifted against him, and a flash of black by the window caught her eye. A cat just outside the glass, watching them.

“We have company,” Violet murmured as Khalid settled between her thighs.

He turned and growled at the intruder.

“It’s just a cat.” Violet laughed, nudging him aside. “Besides, I must dress. They’re waiting for me.”

“ That is not a cat.”

“It’s the one my brother’s been coddling.” Violet stood, ignoring the cat’s curious gaze as she moved to the wardrobe. She pulled on undergarments, followed by a simple mint green linen dress. Bustling to the vanity, she snatched up her brush. “She must have taken a liking to him.”

“Violet.” Khalid’s stern tone made her pause midreach. “That is Bast.”

A chill wracked her at his mention of the ancient deity. Violet turned, catching Khalid’s stoic expression before she allowed her attention to focus on the cat. The black feline’s whiskers twitched as she inclined her head.

“Bast?” The brush slipped from Violet’s grip.

The balcony doors swung open, and the uninvited guest prowled across the threshold. The moment her paw touched the floor, a cloud of shimmering gold surrounded her. Violet gripped the back of her chair as a woman stepped out of the fading glitter.

Long black hair swept over her shoulders, and dark eyes settled on Violet as the woman leaned on the doorway. “I wondered how long it would take you to reveal the truth, Ani.” Bast tapped her long nails on her jaw.

“No one invited you to interfere, Bast.” He growled from where he sat on the bed, his lower half draped with the cotton sheet. He seemed completely unperturbed by his state of undress, more irate at her presence in general.

Bast’s svelte figure swayed beneath a glimmering golden gown as she stepped close to Violet. “I should apologize for leading you on that merry chase.” Her feline smile widened. “But I had to see if he was sincere in his quest.”

“You sent those men to attack me?” Violet’s rage returned with vehemence.

“Of course not, darling.” Bast waved a dismissive hand. “They would have found you regardless.”

“I don’t understand.” Violet pinched the bridge of her nose, irritated by this revelation.

“We have an agreement,” Khalid growled as he stood, revealing every glorified part of his human form. “No interference in another immortal’s affairs.”

“True.” Bast purred in appreciation, her gaze raking over him. Her lips pursed when he snapped his fingers and his black suit appeared, blocking her view. Disappointment laced her tone. “But it didn’t stop Seth from taking what he wanted, did it?”

“Seth failed to take what he coveted.” Khalid came alongside Violet, putting his arm protectively around her waist.

“He took your locket.” Bast traced the bare spot at the base of Violet’s throat with a manicured nail.

“A trinket with sentimental value only,” Khalid clarified. “One I fully intend to retrieve.”

“Careful, Ani.” A smirk curved Bast’s lips. “He knows how much you favor this human. He’s already crossed the line by cornering her in that club and attempting to seduce her by using a form very similar to yours.” She gestured to his handsome face.

Violet stiffened at the reminder of the seductive stranger at the club. The man who had lulled her into a sense of ease before stealing her locket. He’d used her attraction to Khalid as a weapon, as a way to distract her.

“Why didn’t he capture me then?” Violet asked as unease grew. “He had opportunity to do so. Why take the locket and not me?”

“It was a test.” Bast fixed her eyes on Violet, their dark depths sparkling with mischief. “He enjoys the chase. Much like a cat toying with its prey.”

“Before devouring it.” Violet swayed, but Khalid stood steady beside her, his hand resting on her hip.

“If he touches you, he will feel the full power of my wrath.” Khalid’s eyes glowed with retribution.

I will end this now. He spoke directly into her mind.

“How do you propose to do that?”

Bast glanced between them, her brow arched in curious surprise, but she said nothing.

“You know where he is.” Khalid addressed Bast, his posture rigid. “Tell me, and I will forgive your intrusion.”

Violet’s face warmed at the memory of the interruption. How close Khalid had been to making love to her when she’d spied the cat through the glass with those golden, all-knowing eyes fixed on their intimate display of affection.

“Very well.” With a pout, Bast sighed. “I will show you.”

Khalid nodded before gathering Violet in his arms. She sank into his embrace, burying her face in his chest.

“Take me with you,” Violet murmured. “Don’t leave me.”

“Your father and brother await your presence.” He kissed the top of her head. “I shall return. I promise.”

Frustration and desire warred inside her. She wanted to remain with him, but there was nothing she could do to convince him. Besides, he was right. Her father would grow concerned at her continued absence.

Just say my name, and I will be by your side. His whispered promise inside her mind soothed her agitation.

Violet rose onto her toes and kissed him soundly. He held her tight, tasting her briefly before pulling away and placing distance between them. Bast grinned at the display.

The two deities vanished in mirrored plumes of smoke, one black, the other gold. Violet’s heart ached at his departure.

Desperate to distract herself, she finished braiding her hair and rushed from the room. She didn’t know how she would hide her distress from her father and brother, but she had to try. They knew her too well to overlook the nervous twitch of her fingers or the absent way she toyed with her hair when she was worried.

When she reached the lobby, Violet struggled to make her way through the guests milling around the corridors. Was there an event today? Where had they all come from?

She spied a side door leading to the garden and dipped around a portly man smoking a cigar. Opening the door, she sighed at the soft caress of a warm breeze drifting through the garden.

Violet pulled the door closed behind her.

“How lovely to see you again, my dear.”

With a gasp, Violet spun to see him. Aziz. The man from the club.

He was no man. This was Seth in disguise. He lifted his hand and blew across his palm. The sweet scent of jasmine and sand surrounded her.

Before she could run—or think—her mind clouded. Words blended into shapes inside her mind. Her tongue grew thick. Her limbs hung heavy.

The world around her swayed, coalescing into colors, blending until it spiraled into darkness.