Marc looked up. “You talking to me, love?”
“Who else?”
He wiped his chin with a napkin. “Not to worry. He’s most likely gallivanting around, showing off the size of his sword and telling some poor sod what to do.”
Could he take nothing seriously? “But he needs to know we’ve found a clue to the lab. He needs to know about things.”
“Despite what the world says about women, you’re not owned by him, love. You can make your own decisions.”
“I know that.” Chagrin warmed my face. “It’s out of respect that I want to keep him informed. Plus, it’s Cash, my soulmate. I don’t want secrets between us.”
He made a gagging sound. “Do you have to get all mushy?”
“It’s not just that, it’s the fact that Eve is a known liar, you said it yourself. What if the danger’s not passed and—”
I stopped talking when Kitty pushed through the scullery doors with a second bowl of salad. I had almost said something about Kitty being used as leverage, but shut my mouth quickly.
“Why don’t you just leave him a message, babe?” Kitty said and handed me a knife and fork.
“You heard that?”
She smirked. “Sound travels in here. Send the text message, then sit down and eat. I’m sure he’ll get back to you.”
At the smell of the food, my stomach cramped in excitement, and my mouth watered. “Good point.”
I fired off a quick text on Kitty’s phone, outlining our travel plans. Cash would need to know more, but for now, that would do.
After our meals, I stole a few minutes out the back with Kitty to begin the restoration process for the return of her blue and green hair. My true purpose was to take a sample of her blood to see if I could detect signs of Eve’s hex. If it was there, I should taste a tingling taint, almost as though I’d placed my tongue on the tip of a battery. Thankfully, Kitty was well versed in the gross process of hex making—I had to mix her DNA with mine then alter it and return it to her body. The process is where all the bewitching horror stories came from—men claiming to have just kissed a woman to be suddenly under her spell.
In the privacy of the small office, I nicked the tip of her finger with a knife, tasted the drop that welled and created a hex in my mouth. Once I had thought of the right words to craft the change in her DNA, I spat some back onto my fingers and rubbed it in her scalp. It was the grossest thing ever, but it worked. Within seconds, her plain mousy brown hair morphed into a mix of turquoise and blue.
“Babe,” Kitty gushed as she checked herself out in her small compact mirror. “It’s perfect.”
“The blue is a little greener this time, but you know, it’s not a precise art.”
“Like I said, it’s perfect.” She rubbed her hand over her short hair and it shimmered like a wave.
“I also added a directive for the hair to grow at three times the speed for the next few weeks, so it would return to shoulder length in no time.”
“Oh my God. Thank you. It will be better for the wedding.”
A small smile tugged my lips. I couldn’t share in her enthusiasm because I did taste something foreign and suspect in her blood. It wasn’t strong, but it was there. Eve could have easily planted a disease in her, or some sort of mind control thread… there were too many unsavory possibilities. That tingle was definitely there. Whether it was an echo of the healing hex Eve had cast on her after the fire, or whether it was something new, I couldn’t tell. Just that it was. The sooner we uncovered Urser’s lab and destroyed it, the sooner we could come back here and keep an eye on Kitty. Then Marc could dump Eve’s soul at the Empire and let them deal with her.
Kitty swiveled on the office chair, knocking over some papers in the tiny room. We both bent to pick them up.
“Now, what about your wedding?” she said, handing me her pile. “You seriously aren’t making plans?”
“Let me get through this trip to Argentina first.” I gathered the paper on my lap and straightened them.
“You’ll be back for our wedding though, right?”
“I know I’ve been flakey lately, but with this, I promise. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from seeing my two favorite people pledge their love to each other.”
“Babe, you’re my Maid of Honor, remember? You haven’t even seen the dress I picked out for you.“
“You picked out a dress for me?”
“Sure. I know you don’t have much money. What with your father being the spawn of all evil. So, Alvin and I put in and bought you something special.”
“Oh, Kitty, that’s so kind of you.”
“I have a photograph on my phone. You wanna see?”
“Definitely. But show me at the bar. We can’t leave Marc alone with all that alcohol.” I put the stack of papers in my hand on the desk, then turned to leave.
Kitty grabbed my hand, stopping me. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
I met her eyes then looked away immediately. “What do you mean?”
“Uh-uh. Babe, I know you. There’s more to this unexpected visit than just a drop in.”
My jaw clenched and I let the air ease in and out of my lungs. My gorgeous friend. How could I tell her that her life might be in danger?
She tightened her grip on me. “Finding out you’re not who you think you are must be… disorienting to say the least. Are you okay?”
A burn began at the back of my throat. As soon as anyone asks if I’m okay, immediately, I’m not. Why is that? It’s as though I didn’t even know I wasn’t fine until she asked.
“I’m worried, Kitty.”
She didn’t say anything, just watched me.
“I’m worried that I can’t live up to expectations, that I can’t fix everything I broke. People are dying because of me.”
“What did you do?” she asked.
“I created this world, so that means I made the mess it’s in.”
She blinked rapidly and let go of my hand.
For a moment, pain lanced through my heart. She hated me. That must be it. I reached for anything I could grab in the office. A piece of paper from the top of the stack. A draft menu. I picked it up and pretended to read.
“Babe.” Kitty’s hand pushed mine down so I couldn’t see the paper. “Look at me.”
I did.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time going to church, it’s that God gave us all free will. What we do with our lives is our own business. You can’t blame yourself for people making the wrong choices. You’ll go insane if you do.”
“I know that makes sense, but…”
“No buts.” She stood up and surveyed her well rounded rear. “Seriously, can you do something about this butt?”
I giggled. “I think your butt is fine.”
“That’s more like it. No more sulking, please. The only time you can blame yourself is when you see wrong things happen and you do nothing at all. And that’s not the Roo I know. You'll do nothing on the day you die, right?”
I nodded.
“So, cheer up. We’ve got weddings and parties to think about. Let’s take things as they come and—”
We heard glass break in the bar and someone yelled “Taxi!”
“—You’re right. We shouldn’t have left your friend with the alcohol.”
Chapter 10
We arrived in Buenos Aires on schedule and waited in the airport lobby for Wren and Lincoln.
“There they are,” I said to Marc and waved at the petite couple exiting the arrival gates.
Wren wore a pair of khaki shorts, hiking boots and plain black singlet. Next to her stood a stranger. It was Lincoln, but he looked completely different from the last time I’d seen him. Not only was there a broad smile on his face. His attire was similar to Wren’s: khaki shorts and a linen shirt (inside out of course). They looked very much like a sun-kissed couple fresh from a safari adventure. Guess his time away from Seraphim politics was doing him good.
Lincoln spotted me and waved
back.
“Thank you for coming,” I said as they arrived and gave them both a hug.
“Oh, no problems.” Wren smiled. “Like I said, Lincoln’s keen to see the giant waterfalls.”
“Yo sis, wassup?”
“Hi bro. You look snazzy.”
“Snazzy? I look dope, you mean.”
“Cool,so… you don’t mind cutting your holiday short either?”
He shrugged and flicked a glance to Wren. “As long as we’re together, it’s cool. Yeah, so, Iguaza Falls.” Lincoln blushed and pulled out a folded map to study. He found what he was looking for and pointed at it. “See?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Wren added, appreciatively eyeing him off. It was a glance filled with naked emotion and I doubted she thought anyone would notice, but I did. Her aura reached toward him, and even though he wasn’t looking back, his aura reciprocated the attention.
My insides warmed knowing I’d helped put those two together. After we’d escaped the Ludus in Australia and made it safe to the refuge, I made sure the two were placed in the same room as often as I could—I’d even asked Jacine to house them a room apart.
I remembered when I’d first had the inkling they’d make a good pair. It was after a dinner in Urser’s apartment. Both had been too shy and stunted by their mentors to even dare hope there would be a possibility of friendship. Not when they were traded like cards to make new Players and alliances. So glad none of that was happening now. They may be Players, but they had true feelings, and being partnered up to breed against your will was a gross violation of basic rights. Yet another thing that was indirectly related to the choices I had made as Queen. When I questioned Marc about it once, he’d replied with, It was the only way to prevent war. And it worked. But since I’d become a recluse soon after the Game began, I didn’t think I was happy about it, even then.
Wren and Lincoln discovering their feelings for each other was the only good thing I could say that came of dinner with Urser.
“So, Roo,” Wren asked, “where are we headed first and”—she looked around me—“you’re alone?”
I checked over my shoulder for Marc. He’d disappeared the second they arrived. He hated standing still for long, always claimed to get antsy with the need to move to another location. I always thought he just liked to make an entrance, but he swore it’s something to do with his restless atoms. Probably just picking up some chick in the airport bar.
“Marc’s disappeared, and we don’t have to meet Eve for another few hours so, yes, I’m alone.”
“Where’s Cash?” Lincoln frowned, adjusting his backpack to his alternate shoulder.
“Oh, thanks for reminding me. Can I please use your phone, Lincoln? I need to contact him and let him know we’ve arrived.” This no phone business was really becoming an issue. Telepathic powers would be good right about now.
Lincoln pulled his phone from his backpack and handed it to me. I punched in Cash’s number and dialed.
It went straight through to message bank.
Damn it, missed him again. I left him a message updating our progress. There was a Cash-shaped gap in my heart that grew with each passing hour we were apart. I knew I told him I didn’t need him to protect me, but maybe I wanted him with me. His touch, his lips, his embrace. I was such a goner.
I loved it.
To my complete annoyance, Marc didn’t return to us for another few hours. We’d eventually gotten tired of waiting and settled at the airport café to replenish our energy with coffee and cake. Despite working on calming them down, my nerves amped up—I supposed the coffee didn’t help. Tea would’ve been better, but Marc wasn’t here to correct me and I was ready to put out a missing person’s report. When I finally spotted the King of Swagger walking toward us, my nails were chewed down to the wicks.
“Where have you been, Marc?” I asked. “Eve will be here soon and we haven’t had a chance to debrief.”
“Settle down, love. You didn’t need me here for that. I assume you’ve already done a bang-up job.” He turned to Wren and Lincoln, who had half fallen asleep on some chairs. “Am I right?”
Wren rubbed her eyes. “Yep. She’s told us everything.”
“That’s not the point, Marc. You better not have been picking up some girl in the bar while we’ve been waiting for you.”
He frowned at me. “I’m not a complete degenerate, love. I was doing research.”
“You were? What kind?”
“Well, I popped into a few of the local—ahem—bars and asked if anyone knew about there being any new manufacturing plants set up recently near a jungle.”
“And?”
“Well, it just so happens there were zero sightings of muchacho canche, not enough to concern us, anyway.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Blond men.”
“Why would you ask that?”
“It would be a sign of Urser’s henchmen if they’re Nephilim.”
“Clever.”
“Of course.”
“So, did you find anything.”
“Nada,” Marc said. “He must be using locals or we’re in the wrong place.”
Lincoln straightened. “Didn’t Eve say the lab was in a jungle somewhere?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Well, there are no jungles near here. We’re way too far south. Like opposite end of the continent south.”
I rubbed my temples. “That’s not good. Not good. I can’t believe we didn’t realize that. Maybe Eve is lying after all.”
“I’m not lying.” Eve had arrived. She too was dressed in explorer attire. Shorts, a linen shirt and hiking boots. I felt slightly overdressed in my denim-construct jeans and blouse, but then again, so did Marc in his carefully constructed tweed, three piece suit. “We have to catch a connecting flight to Padre Aldimz,” Eve continued. “We have twenty minutes till boarding time.”
Marc gasped and slapped his hand to his chest, offended. “I don’t fly.”
“To the Amazon?” Lincoln asked, wide eyed.
“Yes. We land in a place called Peurto Maldonado.”
At the mention of the town, Marc became very still.
“From there,” Eve continued, “I have a man who will meet us and take us to the donkey.”
Marc rolled his eyes. “First off, I’ll meet you there. Second, I’ll wager I can find out where this lab is before you have a chance to speak to the donkey. In fact, I’ll be able to deduce the location before your plane arrives.” He snorted and mumbled under his breath: “Simpleton.”
“I’d like to see you try,” Eve smirked. “The donkey is the only living animal who survived returning from the Bay of Skulls. It’s the only living thing who would remember how to get back there. That’s why we need your friend.” Eve’s eyes landed on Wren.
“You think Wren can get more sense out of the donkey?” I asked.
“Yes. We know the lab is somewhere around the Bay of Skulls, but can’t pinpoint the location. I heard Wren has a remarkable talent deciphering the fractured thoughts of animals.”
Wren blushed. “Yes, well there’s a trick to it, you see—”
“Witch, you’re on.” Marc interrupted and flared his eyes at Eve. “I win: No more Empire for you.”
Eve laughed, her kind round eyes full of mirth. “What are we talking about again?”
“I’ll find the lab before you, of course, and when I do, our Empire deal is off.”
“And when you fail? You’ll let me taste your blood, god.”
Marc squinted at her, his lips pressed white. “Deal.” He spat in his palm and held it out for Eve to shake. “Looks like things just got interesting.”
“They weren’t enough already?” I blanched.
“Not nearly.” Marc glanced at me. “Are you coming with me, or taking the boring route. The race is on.”
Panic gripped my heart. My eyes darted between my friends, the witch who blackmailed us, and the god who I wasn’t sure I should leave o
n his own.
“Go on,” Wren said. “We’ll be fine.”
“Yep.” Lincoln placed a hand on Wren’s shoulder. “See you in a few, sis.”
“I suppose there’s nothing for it then. We’ll head to Peurto Maldonado and meet you there.”
Marc tugged me close and brazenly took us through the in-between while standing in full view of the public and cameras.
Chapter 11
We arrived in the jungle and hot life punched me in the face. Energy rolled over my body like a bucket of steaming water. It took me a moment to adjust. I inhaled sharply, pulling away from Marc to see better.
Our sudden arrival had caused a flurry of action above us. When I looked up, I caught glimpses of red, green and blue as a flock of macaws flew away through the dense vegetation. Monkeys called from the trees, alerting each other to the presence of intruders. A buzzing sound emitted all around me. It took me a while to distinguish the buzz of insects from the frequency of nature’s life-force I sensed. One giant aura surrounded me. It was amazing. I’d never seen, or felt, so much wonder.
And—
A sting on my right thigh.
I slapped the skin on instinct.
Mosquito.
“Damn it.” I inspected my hand and the blood smeared over it and gasped. The little buzz of life snuffed out because of me. “Oh no! I killed it.”
“Not to worry, love. It’s only a pest. Follow me.” Marc turned on his nude heels and pushed some ferns out of the way before plunging further into the deep forest.
His potent aura emitted a frequency I could track. I tried to cover my private bits with my hands, but every five-seconds, found myself shooing the mosquitos away.
Sting.
I shooed.
Bite.
Double shoo.
“Come on bugs. I get that you’re trying to have your dinner, but please don’t use me.”
I don’t think they heard.
I jogged through the jungle, trailing Marc’s energy signature. The floor was muddy and soggy and, with each step, the delicious earth squelched through my toes. It made me tingle and giggle in delight. I couldn’t believe it had taken me this long to visit a jungle. I could’ve sworn I heard the overgrown vegetation sigh as I ran past. A monkey sound came from right above me, loud and crystal clear. I jolted. My hand slipped on the branch I held and it swung back.
The Game of Gods: Series Box Set Page 80