Death and Desire (Love in Cairo #1)

Chapter Twenty-One

V iolet was trapped in an endless void without starlight or sun. Panic infused her, but there was nowhere to run, only fathomless expanses of black in every direction. The scent of sulfur and frankincense teased the edge of her consciousness.

She woke with a start, pulled from the dark recesses of a dreamless sleep.

Her body ached and her temples throbbed. She shifted, ignoring coarse, rough fabric beneath her. She sat up, scratching her bare arms, and looked around.

Gone was the hotel, replaced with something vaguely familiar. Candlelight flickered, casting deep shadows across the ceiling. Black marble lined the walls and floors, covered with plush carpets and gilded furniture. A sitting room, from the looks of it. Ostentatious, even judged by her own experience in a wealthy family. Shelves along the far wall held jars, gems, and baubles, displayed for the curiosity of those in the chamber.

Where was she?

Turning, Violet spied doors to her right and wrenched herself to her feet. Memories rushed back to her. Anubis. Bast. Her brother. The garden. Him.

A soft gasp tore from her throat, followed by a low curse. It echoed through the room.

Seth had found her... taken her. She closed her eyes, attempting to reach out for Anubis, but she found only sturdy walls of marble and suffocating silence. Violet was Seth’s prisoner.

Indignation flooded her. She’d been foolish to allow him to charm her, to sway her with his silver tongue. But walking directly into this trap left her drowning in fury and shame.

Seizing the opportunity, she rushed to the doors, flipped the latch, and pulled them open. Moonlight bathed her in a familiar blood-red glow as it shone down from the star-dappled sky. Mountains covered in sand and snow glittered beneath the strange heavens.

Violet gripped the banister, her fingers hot against the cool marble. He’d brought her to the land between, the Netherworld, the land of gods and monsters. Anubis’s realm.

“It is beautiful, is it not?”

She turned at the silken sound of his voice, surprised by the dulcet tones that wooed her in the club and persuaded her to let down her guard on the dance floor.

He stood under the arched doorframe, his dark hair gleaming beneath the blood moon. How she’d even thought to compare him to Khalid made her ill. He radiated confidence and charm, but his handsome face could not hide the intent in his gaze. She should have seen it. Sensed it. And yet, how could she have done so when her thoughts were clouded, her heart broken?

Now she saw through the veneer to the devil.

He took a step forward, and a plume of fire surrounded him. When he emerged from the smoldering inferno, she saw the golden-haired bastard who had cornered her in the catacombs beneath Cairo. Regardless of these attractive forms, she knew the beast beneath his many facades carried only chaos and destruction.

“You hide your true face from me.” Violet retreated, circling away from him as he approached. “Coward.”

Seth paused, inclining his head before embers again cloaked him from view. This time, the fire faded slowly, evaporating like a candle flame engulfed in smoke.

Violet’s heart raced as his true form appeared. As tall as Anubis and equally as broad, Seth shared many physical features with Anubis, right down to his pitch-black skin. But when the air cleared, she sucked in a breath at the god before her.

Seth was nothing like Anubis. His muzzle sloped at an odd angle, like the anteater she’d seen in a book about exotic animals. His skin puckered, gnarled and rough, around his mouth. His grin revealed sharp, wolflike, yellow teeth. His green eyes were now a vibrant hot-iron red, shifting over her as though taking full measure of his prey.

“Is this what you desired?” His voice hummed with a dangerous undercurrent. “Does this form not terrify you?”

“No more so than your heinous actions.” Defiant, she held his unblinking, bloody gaze.

“I see why he chose you.”

Seth reached out a clawed hand.

Violet jerked away from his touch.

“Such passion.” He licked his teeth. “If I had half a mind, I would keep you for myself.”

“I would rather die,” Violet hissed, darting back into the room.

She drew up short when she realized there was no exit. No escape.

His deep chuckle echoed behind her. “Give me what I desire, and I will ensure your safe return to Cairo.” He lifted his hand, and a gold chain glittered between his black fingers. “Along with this.”

Her pendant. She bit her lip to avoid saying something too revealing. The last thing she needed was him knowing just how much the locket meant to her. Though the ache she felt wasn’t nearly as poignant as it had been when he’d first taken it.

“What do you want?” she asked cautiously, careful to conceal her nervousness.

Seth’s gaze dropped to the jewel on her wrist. “The Heart of Anubis.”

Violet clasped her hand around the bracelet, hiding the jewel from view. It burned hot in her palm, and her own heartbeat echoed against the hard stone.

“You can pry it from my cold, dead hands.”

Seth’s countenance darkened, if that were possible in this form. Smoky shadows swirled around him, teasing the edges of his skin, as though he were smoldering under intense heat.

“You are in no position to negotiate, my dear,” Seth growled. “Surrender the heart, or I will destroy all you hold sacred.”

“Wh—you lie.” She tilted her chin in defiance, and yet, a small kernel of doubt had been sown with his threat. Would he hurt Anubis? Her family? Her friends?

He’d been watching her since her arrival in Cario; he knew exactly where her loyalties lay.

Protect the heart of the man she loved or betray her own. Tears pricked her eyes.

Anubis, forgive me.

A cloud of black smoke erupted beside her, accompanied by a swirling cloud of gold. Violet gasped with relief, and her tears turned from grief to joy. He heard me.

Seth snatched her arm, his clawed fingers biting into her flesh as he dragged her to him. She fought his hold, trying to pry his fingers from her forearm. He growled, and his grip tightened on her as his other arm banded across her torso, threatening to suffocate her with the pressure against her ribs. She cringed at the stink of sulfur surrounding her.

“If you wish to see your family again, you will cease,” he whispered in her ear, his hot breath blistering her skin.

With the size difference and his sheer strength, Violet knew her resistance would be futile. She stilled in his hold and the pressure eased, just a fraction, just enough for her to suck in a deep breath and quell the panic in her mind.

Seth straightened as the air cleared to reveal two intimidating figures. Anubis and Bast stood proudly in their true forms.

Anubis’s eyes fixed on her. Has he hurt you?

No, but he threatened those I love.

His golden eyes glistened with rage. What has he demanded?

Your heart.

Anubis squared his shoulders, his hand coming to the sheathed blade on his hip. Fury poured over him, casting him darkness, highlighted only by the gold woven through his garments. He turned his ire on Seth.

“You dare threaten someone under my protection?”

Seth’s body tensed. “I merely made a bargain—her safe return in exchange for this.”

He lifted her wrist to display the jewel. It caught the light, twinkling in invitation. His black fingers bit into the pale skin of her forearm as she twisted against his hold.

“You steal her from the mortal realm, threaten her family and friends, sow discord...for some iridescent trinket?” Anubis scoffed.

“I delight in chaos, remember?” Seth replied, his tone bored. “We both know this is no mere trinket, Anubis.” His thumb caressed the jewel, as well as her flesh, making her shiver with distaste.

“Had I known you had your heart removed sooner, I would have been more diligent in retrieving it.” Seth’s taunt stung her ears.

Violet couldn’t see his expression, but she could read the reactions of both Anubis and Bast. The former impassive, the latter’s eyes widening in interest and shifting to the being beside her.

“Where did you uncover such a rumor?” The question rolled easily from Anubis’s tongue as he seemed to stifle his rage.

“It matters not.” Seth chuckled. “What remains a mystery is why you would choose to place something of such value in this ?” He dug a bony finger beneath the gold band. “Your heart is in this piece of stone, is it not?”

“If it is, what business is it of yours?” Anubis flexed his hand, tapping a claw on the gilded hilt of his blade.

Seth tutted, the sound of amused disappointment echoing behind Violet. “Come now...you cannot be ignorant of the power such an object would yield. An immortal’s heart in the possession of a mortal would grant them what humanity has sought for millennia.”

Violet mulled over the words, her breath catching when she realized the implication.

The person who holds your heart would be immortal.

Anubis’s attention shifted to her, his golden eyes flashing.

You allowed me to hold your heart. Why did you not take it back the moment I arrived in Cairo?

The tension in Anubis’s shoulders eased, and his gaze softened. I could not take it back by force, nor could I tell you the truth. Remaining by your side was the only way to ensure it remained secure. You earned my trust and adoration. Therefore, my heart belongs to none but you.

Bast’s brilliant green eyes flickered between them, her feline lips curling in a smile.

“What are—?” Seth spun Violet to face him, his grip on her arm punishing. He searched her face and scowled for a moment before surprise lit his grotesque features. “Impossible.”

“What?” Violet asked, stunned by the shifting emotions playing over his face. “What’s impossible?”

“You can speak to each other mind-to-mind.” He shook his head. “Such an ability is extremely rare and limited to the divine.”

“Divine?” Violet stumbled over the word before laughing. “Are you saying I am immortal?”

“She’s mortal.” In possessing my heart and surrendering it willingly, we share a unique bond. Fate has blessed us. Anubis’s reassurance echoed in her head.

“Enough of this nonsense.” Seth pulled her against him. “ This belongs to me.”

Violet squirmed as his fingers slid across the inside of her wrist until they encircled the gold bracelet. Seth’s hot breath warmed her neck as he leaned closer and wriggled the bracelet over her hand. His other palm encased the plump curve of her breast and squeezed as he drew the jewel away.

Anubis growled, low and menacing, his hands clenched in fists. Fire blazed in his eyes. As still as a predator stalking his prey, he watched his nemesis with cold calculation. Violet pushed aside all thought of Seth’s touch, words, and presence, focusing solely on the vengeful god before her, passion and retribution simmering to the surface of Anubis’s calm exterior.

With the jewel tucked safely in his palm, Seth released her. She stumbled, and Anubis caught her. She turned to see a cloud of burning embers envelop Seth. Laughter churned inside the swirling ash as he disappeared.

“Ani, we should go. She’s been here too long,” Bast murmured.

“I’m fine,” Violet insisted as she swayed, her legs weak, head pounding. She clung to him, her fingers stiff against the gold plating on his shoulders.

“Come.” Anubis swept Violet into his arms, and the familiar comfort of his scent settled around her in a warm embrace.

She leaned into him and closed her eyes. Don’t leave me.

“Never again,” Anubis vowed.

Violet met his gaze and held it, savoring the heat of his desire, exchanged without declaration or fanfare. I love you.

Black smoke consumed them in darkness, and a weight lifted off Violet, lost to the void of the world between worlds.