Page 88 of Death and Desire

“Violet carries my heart, which makes her immortal.”

“Yes, it does.” Ra held his gaze. “You wish for her to remain in the Netherworld by your side.”

“I wish for us to divide our time between my world and hers.”

Ra laughed. “A bold request, but I believe it is one I can grant...at least until it becomes unsustainable due to her inability to age.”

The joy infusing her suddenly vanished. “What do you mean?”

“You will never grow old, my dear,” Ra said, his tone sober. “But your friends and family will. You cannot remain in the mortal realm when it becomes obvious you are no longer entirely human.”

Fear and regret choked her. How could she abandon her father, her brother, her friends to the wheel of time and fate’s design? She swallowed a lump rising in her throat.

“Am I...can I tell them the truth?” Tears pricked her eyes, but she forbade them from falling.

“If you believe they can comprehend the truth, then yes.” A shadow of sadness crossed his handsome face. “Sadly, most humans cannot, but I shall leave the decision in your capable hands.”

Violet nodded, struck mute by the overwhelming pressure of such a decision. Perhaps David and Isaac would believe her, but her father...she blinked twice, and the tears fell freely.

“Go in peace and prosperity. You have my blessing, both of you.” With those words, Ra retreated to his golden arbor beyond the swaying palm, taking the warmth of the sun with him.

Violet shivered, her thoughts conflicted and her heart aching.

Anubis swept her into his embrace, and darkness swirled around them once more. Holding her close, he transported them through the void of the Netherworld, the smoke clouding her vision.

When it finally unfurled, Violet blinked at the radiant moonstone and marble surrounding her. His chamber. The place he’d brought her after she’d nearly drowned in the Nile. When she’d learned he was no ordinary man, but a god.

With tender care, Anubis lowered her to the ground. The ache in her heart remained, but she refused to let it fester. She would talk to her family, tell them the truth. But that was for another time.

This moment was hers...and his.

She pivoted to face him. His midnight skin glowed with ethereal light against the white surrounding them. His gold, jeweled collar began at his neck and spread across his shoulders and chest like armor. A matching belt hung low on his hips holding a linen around his muscular thighs. Every time she saw him in this form, he wore the same items. Were they part of him or merely garments denoting his position? Curious, she brushed her fingers over the gold above his heart.

“Can you remove these? Or are they part of you?” Violet asked. The question sounded ridiculous now that she’d voiced it. Was it strange that she longed to see him bare in this form? She wanted to seeallof him. Explore him as he’d done her. Would they even be able to...? She ducked her head to hide the heat climbing into her cheeks at the indecent thoughts in her mind, but he caught her chin in his long fingers and lifted her gaze to his.

“There are no questions I will not answer. No matter howridiculousyou think they are.” He brushed his thumb across her lower lip.

“You’re in my thoughts again.” Violet pouted. “It’s unfair.”

“I rather enjoy your...curiosity.” A soft rumble sounded deep in his throat.

“Why can I not hearyourthoughts?” She ignored the way his voice tugged at some deep desire twisted inside of her, hidden from the light.

“No one should bear such torment.”

Her bravado faltered at his simple statement. “I cannot imagine the burden of memories spanning several millennia.”

“I can share more, if it is your desire.”

Violet pondered the offer with serious consideration but shook her head. There was something to be said for innocence in such matters, and although he easily penetrated her mind, she could use it to her advantage in the future. He may be a god, but he’d already proven he had desires to rival any mortal man.

“Perhaps another time.” She let her gaze drift to the bed covered with a plush sapphire blanket and soft downy pillows.

Her mind filled with memories of them together. Him tasting her, filling her, teasing her until she found sweet release. Heat bloomed across her skin. The softest brush across her mind betrayed his presence. She smiled when a deep growl permeated the silent room.

“You torment me, Violet.”

A dark smoke began to encircle him, and Violet pressed a hand to his chest. “No.”

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