Page 75 of Death and Desire

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 aremine, 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.

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