Page 46 of Death and Desire

Anubis.The moment the name crossed her mind, she felt his gentle caress against her senses.

Violet swayed, her heart beating faster. “Absolutely none of whateverthatwas.”

He shrugged.

“Oh, and one final request.” She attempted to sound confident. “Do not tell anyone what just transpired. My...lapse in judgment remains between us.”

“Of course.” Khalid inclined his head in acknowledgment.

Violet held out her hand. “Then we have an agreement.”

His hand engulfed hers. Sparks ignited beneath her skin at the contact, similar to the night they’d met on the dance floor. Knowing who he was—whathe was—made the simple handshake more powerful. He was a god. An immortal in human form.

What in the devil was she thinking?

A soft brush of silk caressed her ankles. Violet jumped, dropping Khalid’s hand. She glared at the feline intruder.

“You again?” She scowled, dropping down to gather the cat in her arms. It went willingly, nestling into her chest and purring loudly. “This is all your fault, you know,” she murmured.

A low growl emanated from the man next to her. Violet pulled her gaze from the cat and laughed at the visible dislike etched on Khalid’s face. Not a scowl so much as an expression of passionate distaste.

“Ah, yes, cats and the Netherworld. I remember now.” Violet allowed herself a chuckle at his obvious discomfort. “Not a fan of the feline persuasion, are you?”

“We should return to your friends.” Khalid turned his back on her and entered the bazaar.

Violet marveled at the dramatic shift in his demeanor. She scratched behind the cat’s ears and cradled it to her chest as she followed him. For a creature so...even-tempered, seeing such a strong emotional reaction from him left her stunned. She wondered what other emotions he buried beneath the surface. In revealing one, he revealed a depth beneath his calm exterior—one she now longed to explore more thoroughly.

They wove quickly through the crowd. Ahead, Violet spotted David’s familiar brown mop of hair. Beside him stood Isaac and a bewildered Dina. She lifted her arm and waved. Dina spotted her first, and her confusion melted into relief.

Khalid stood beside her when they reached the trio.

“Where in the devil did you disappear to?” Isaac whirled on her. He raked a hand through his tousled hair. “We thought...well, it doesn’t matter what we thought. Good thing Khalid found you.”

“I made a new friend,” Violet said by way of excuse. “She led me down an alley, and I got turned around.”

“Hello, sweet thing.” Isaac gathered the cat into his arms before glaring at her. “I’m glad you’re all right. Father would have been furious if something happened to you.”

“Then it’s good he hired Khalid to protect me, isn’t it?” She glanced up at her bodyguard, a god masquerading as a man, and nearly snorted with laughter. “No one in their right mind would dare cross him.”

His unamused stare made her breath catch, and the laugh died in her throat.

“Shall we return to the hotel and have lunch? I’m famished,” Dina suggested, taking the lead.

“As am I,” David said.

“A wonderful idea.” Violet took Dina’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“Would you like to pet her?” Isaac asked, holding the cat up to Khalid.

“Absolutely not.” He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, leading the way.

Violet could have sworn she heard him grumble beneath his breath. It seemed her fearless protector had a weakness after all. His intense dislike for cats showed a break in his curated mask. Perhaps therewasa heart beating inside his chest and not a block of stone marred by time and death.

In her mind, an image of Anubis holding a black cat in his oversized arms painted an absolutely ridiculous portrait. She stifled a laugh behind her hand, earning herself a warning glare from Khalid. She smothered her amusement, but it left her with questions about his past, about his purpose. Why was the god of the dead protecting her, a mortal?

With their tenuous truce now in place, she had an opportunity to explore him more thoroughly, as well as the unchecked riot of emotions taking flight inside her like butterflies in an English garden.Careful, her conscience warned her. What could an ancient deity offer a woman of flesh and blood but heartache and sorrow?

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