Chapter Seven
S omething isn’t right . Violet struggled to put a finger on it.
The last thing she remembered, she’d fallen overboard, plunged headfirst into the cool waters of the Nile River.
The next...nothing.
There was no struggle. No panic. Just the weightless embrace of water, then sleep. Staring up at the dark canopy over her, she blinked twice.
What had happened, exactly?
Violet sat up. Slowly, her eyes acclimated to the darkness. Shapeless forms in the room slowly materialized, and the calm that had settled around her morphed into something quite the opposite. Not panic, but something deeper, more primal. She sucked in a desperate breath, filling her lungs with cool night air.
Air drifted in from open doors to her right. The arched entrance stood illuminated by an oversized blood-red moon.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
“Am I dead?” Violet asked the eerie silence, praying it would not respond.
She pressed her hands to her chest, chasing the rapid flutter of her heart beneath her ribs, and breathed a sigh of relief at the gentle rhythm beneath her fingertips. They smoothed the white silken garment she wore.
Pinching the fabric, she admired the delicate, unfamiliar weave. This was certainly not hers. Where had such a fine gown come from? Her hands smoothed the silk, molding it to her curves as she stretched and kicked off the thin sheet covering her.
A soft growl echoed through the chamber.
“Hello? Is someone there?”
Violet pushed herself to the edge of the bed and scoured the dark room for any sign of life.
When her feet touched the floor, the room illuminated. Not by lamp. It just... glowed , as though every surface had been touched by sunlight. She blinked against the abrupt onslaught, shielding her face from the brilliance.
“Where am I?” she asked, knowing an answer would never come.
Violet paced the room, admiring the pale marble floors beneath her feet, warm to the touch, not cold as expected. White walls held the light, highlighting gold trim along the floors and woven through the arched doorways.
Turning, she gasped.
A massive bed took up much of the room. Four black pillars stood at each corner with thin curtains of fine black gauze draped across the top where the pillars were joined by carved wood. A gentle light glowed from the pinnacle, like a candle in a stormy night, casting inviting light across the lush pillows and soft linens. The bed lay mussed in invitation.
Violet resisted the urge to curl up and resume her slumber. Where in the devil was she?
As she took in the details of the ornate chamber once more, she noticed something else. Something strange.
“Am I dreaming?” Violet looked at her fingers and noted waves of her auburn hair trailing around her hips. It was not often she wore it unbound, especially while she slept. The riotous knots proved too much to untangle otherwise. She gathered a handful of the heavy locks and twisted them over her shoulder. Resolve settled deep in her bones.
“I’m dead, aren’t I?” she asked the empty room.
“No.” A deep, familiar voice filled the void.
Khalid stepped from the shadows beyond the open balcony door, his scent drifting in with the breeze. She savored the aroma of floral spice, the deeper note of rich earth.
“Where am I?” Violet stood her ground as he approached, one measured step at a time.
He clasped his hands behind his back, regarding her with dark eyes. “The answer is not as simple as one would believe.”
“I tire of your vague responses.” Violet sighed in exasperation. “It’s a simple question. The answer must be equally simple.”
“You are in my home.”
“See, that wasn’t so hard.” Violet grinned, finally getting somewhere. “Your home in Cairo?”
Khalid shook his head. “In the world between.”
She furrowed her brow in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Do you not remember what transpired?” Khalid cocked his head, his expression impassive but not unkind.
“I remember being on the boat...dancing with you...” Her face warmed at the memory. “You left...and someone grabbed me. I fell into the river and...”
Eyes wide, she pressed her hand to her heart once more. “I’m dead.”
Khalid’s soft chuckle made her jump. She’d never heard such a melodic sound before.
“You find this amusing?” She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled.
“Not at all.” He sobered.
“Then tell me the truth.” She pinned him with her fiercest glare. “What happened on that boat? And where am I?”
“You were knocked overboard. Instead of chasing the culprit, I dove into the water after you.” The explanation seemed so...unpretentious.
“That explains nothing.” Violet pushed past him to the open balcony. “I’ll have to find answers another way.”
The moment she stepped onto the marble balcony, Violet’s heart ceased beating for three breaths. When it resumed, she gaped at the scene before her, her heart now thundering like a hundred horses racing across a meadow with a storm raging overhead.
A blood moon filled half of the cloudless night sky. Below, it was reflected in a black sea spanning far into the distance. Ghostly white ships glided across the surface, absorbing the red light shining overhead. Eerily beautiful and haunting in its splendor, the scene unfolded as she looked at the building she occupied.
From this angle, she saw only white sandstone reflecting the glow of the arterial moon. It sat on a precipice overlooking the vast, dark water below.
Violet sucked in several deep breaths, trying to make sense of it all. “Wha—?”
“This is the world between. My domain.” Khalid’s soft voice soothed her as much as it ruffled what little composure remained. “The Netherworld.”
Hands unsteady, Violet clenched them into the fabric of her gown, ignoring the feel of the luxurious fabric. She instinctively reached for the locket at her throat, clenching the gold in her fist. Relief filled her at the presence of her most treasured possession, its comforting weight in her palm grounding her in this unfamiliar place.
“You’ve kidnapped me?” She shook her head in disbelief. “My father was right to be wary.” She glared at him again. “How did you fool him into trusting you? Witchcraft? Hypnotism?”
Khalid’s unwavering stoicism remained as he narrowed his eyes. “I have not taken you anywhere against your will, little thief. I saved your life.”
“You saved me?” Violet scoffed. “Have you saved hundreds of women before me?”
“In all of my existence, I have saved no one before,” Khalid said. “Salvation is beyond my abilities.”
“And yet, here I am,” Violet shot back. “Wait...the Netherworld?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure I’m not dead?”
“You were close to death.”
“How do you know?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“I know many things.”
A soft blossoming of realization unfurled within her as the texts she’d studied rushed forward with clarity. Surely it couldn’t be true.
“Who are you?” Her voice trembled.
“I am Anubis.”
Disbelief choked her. “You...no...” She shook her head vehemently. “You can’t be.” A startled laugh lodged in her throat at his serious expression. “I don’t believe it.”
“If you will not believe my words, perhaps you will believe this.” He stepped back and closed his eyes.
Violet jumped when black smoke wrapped around him, starting at his feet, curling around his muscular thighs, his narrow hips, encompassing his broad shoulders, followed by his black hair. The last to vanish into the smoke was his face.
Fear permeated her. What was happening? Surely, this was a dream...a nightmare. She would wake in her bed, slick with sweat, her heart racing. As she watched, she poised herself, ready to dart back to the room, to the waiting exit. Was there an exit? She had no idea, yet she could not remain here should he be a villain shrouded in heroics.
The smoke dissipated quickly, drifting away on the same breeze she felt when she’d first woken in this place.
“Khalid?” Violet attempted to comprehend the intimidating being before her.
At eight feet tall, he towered over her, and his pale skin was now black and shiny as a beetle’s wing. Gone were his handsome features, replaced with the stark lines of a sleek, muscular hound. Golden eyes fixed on her as pointed ears twitched atop his head, pivoting when a gasp escaped her throat. His muscular body flexed with restrained power. Gone were the garments he’d worn, replaced by a belted, jeweled white...kilt, for lack of a better term. The gems along the gilded belt glistened in crimson moonlight.
She’d seen this being before. Never in person. Only in ink on a page or carved from stone and covered with faded paint, worn with the passage of time and the forgetfulness of humanity.
“You are...” She backed against the balustrade, bracing herself with one hand as the other held her locket tightly. “No. It can’t be. You’re—”
“The protector of the dead.” His wolflike mouth curved into something resembling a smile.
“Anubis.” The name broke from her lips in a reverent whisper. “You’re Anubis.”
He bowed to her, a gesture almost comical in his god form. His ebony skin glistened in the moonlight, blending with the surrounding shadows.
“Wha...?” She stammered. “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? My father will pay you dearly for my safe return.”
“I have no desire for earthly treasure.”
“Then why am I here?”
“You fell into the Nile...when I found you...” He trailed off.
“I was dying.”
He inclined his head in affirmation.
She studied his new form, even though it terrified her. The mere strength he exuded left her trembling. It would be nothing for him to crush her, to end her life without effort. And yet...
“You saved me?”
He nodded again.
“Why?” she asked, more puzzled than before. There was certainly no understanding the mystery before her. This was beyond complicated. It was surreal.
He reached out, trailing clawed fingers over her wrist. The click of his sharp nails on the jeweled bracelet fueled the panic holding her in its powerful grip.
“You belong to me, Violet,” he growled.
Desperation drove her away from him. His dark gaze followed her as she turned and fled into the bedchamber. She threw open the nearest door and launched herself into a dark corridor.
Lights flashed around her as her presence triggered the rooms to glow, each footstep illuminating the space. They barely hit the floor before sparking a chain reaction to lead her further away from Anubis.
This was a dream. None of this was real. This place wasn’t real. He wasn’t real.
Violet’s heart raced faster as she pushed herself into the mazelike corridors, twisting and turning. Surely there was a way out...an escape.
But even if she should escape this palace, where would she go?
She came to a sudden halt, resting against a wall to catch her breath. Silence surrounded her.
“Come now, little thief. There is no escaping your fate.”
“You should have let me die.” She wiped a tear from her cheek, angry at him for not revealing the truth sooner. For not...
Would she have believed him? Seeing him in his true form had left her shaken. Her attraction to his human form had transmuted, evolving into something akin to horror and fascination. He was handsome in both forms...but how was that possible?
Violet shook her head, listening for any indication he’d followed her. Nothing but empty air and the sound of her own frenzied breath echoed around her.
She glanced around at the white sandstone walls and the gilded archways. How the hell was she going to leave this place?
This is the between worlds. Anubis’s words sounded in her mind. The Netherworld. The reality of her situation plunged like a dagger into her gut.
Violet sucked in a breath and let tears flow uninhibited.
Anubis saved her from certain death, and now she was at his mercy.