Once she had put enough distance between herself and Viktor, she slowed down and hid behind a group of boulders to conceal her position. She had no idea how far she was from the resort, but the landscape was drastically different. The plants were lush and showed no evidence of mortals disturbing the area. She was closer to the high ground she had been hiking toward when she first arrived on the island, which was the only positive thing to come from this latest hiccup.
She crouched down and waited for Viktor to walk past her so that she could keep an eye on him and perhaps trick him into heading toward the wrong direction. Once he was off on a wild goose chase, she would head for the waterfall in the distance. As much as she wanted to return to the hotel, it was too risky with Haydn lurking about. It wouldn’t take him long to get through his ropes and search for her, if he wasn’t already hunting her. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of leaving behind her canned peaches, but she couldn’t risk getting lost on the island. She hoped that the dogs would be okay and on some level thought perhaps Haydn would take care of them. Regardless, she would come back to find them once she got the bonds off.
A thousand questions plagued her mind as she waited for Viktor to either pass or move far enough away for her to run. How had Viktor found her and who had sent him? She didn’t like his vague answers about rescuing someone other than her. How could offering up the Bringer of the Apocalypse buy anyone’s freedom? What kind of trouble had he gotten himself into? She wondered why he was willing to risk his life to pluck her from an island and take her, well, she had no idea where he would take her. He obviously didn’t know how powerful she was; otherwise, he would have brought back up with him, or at the very least a weapon.
She looked down at the Celestial Bonds. Powerful—what a joke. She barely had enough strength to fight Viktor last night. Refusing to accept how screwed she was, she focused on the sounds of the jungle and tried to separate the humming of the bugs from the noises of her pursuer.
Her entire body was aching and she just wanted to rest against the boulders and sleep, but she forced her eyes to stay open. She had to be vigilant and wait for her moment to run.
“There’s no use in running. There isn’t a place on this earth where you can hide from me, so stop wasting my time and come along. I am an impatient man when I want something,” Viktor huffed from behind her.
Flinching, Anjali looked over her shoulder and found Viktor standing with his arms folded. She had no idea how he found her in the middle of her rocky sanctuary.
She slowly pushed herself to her feet and leaned against the nearest tree waiting for the blood to rush to her feet. “I see that in addition to being an arrogant asshole, you’re part retriever. How adorable. You can scowl all you want, but I’m not going anywhere with you,” she replied.
She almost laughed at the complete and utter frustration in his expression that was mimicked in his tense body. She didn’t get the impression that he would hit her or hurt her to make her comply, which made her curious to see how far she could push him. There was something sexy about his stern face when she defied him. It was dangerous to taunt an enemy, but she was too tired to care. She needed to vent her frustrations on someone.
“Don’t make me carry you,” he threatened through his clenched jaw.
She wiggled her hips at him. “Actually, I’m grateful for the lift last night. I would have never gotten this far without your taxi service. How about I let you carry me over to the beach?” she asked, motioning in no particular direction.
He sputtered, unable to form words. Seeing him so upset was enough to throw her into a fit of laughter. It seemed the delirium was setting in earlier during this round with the Celestial Bonds. She bent over and laughed at his vexed expression. He looked like he was about to stomp his foot and order her around like a petulant child.
“I’ve had enough of this,” he shouted. He stamped his right foot and pointed at her. “Do not vex me, woman. I don’t have all day. You will do as you’re told and walk,” he said firmly.
Her laughter was cut short when a sense of déjà vu hit her in the gut. He had done exactly as she had imagined all the way down to using the word vexed. It was a word that the Council used, or even Týr, but not something a mortal would typically say in the era. She was so confused by the experience that she started walking in the direction he wanted.
She replayed the encounter in her mind a few times, trying to figure out how she knew what he would do, and why she had found his frustration so comical. She had felt comfortable with him for a split second and let her guard down, but why? She had almost felt playful when she “vexed” him. She wanted to blame the sun beating down on her, frying her brain, or the exhaustion in her bones, but it went beyond that.
“Where are we going?” she asked, pushing aside the strange exchange with Viktor to focus on the larger problem. She wasn’t worried about Viktor harming her, but she was worried about whomever he was working for. Just like Manuel who had warned her and then betrayed her, she had the impression that Viktor was a means to an end. In this case, he was the tracker sent to retrieve her, which meant that he could be bought.
“You needn’t worry about that. Just keep walking. I’ll tell you which way to go,” he replied coldly.
Blowing her hair out of her face, she glanced back at him over her shoulder. He was scowling again. Whatever was going on inside his head, he seemed to be at odds about something.
“If someone is paying you to abduct me, I’ll pay you more to let me go. I’ll give you whatever you want,” she said, hoping to negotiate. If money were his only concern, she would counter the offer and attempt to buy her freedom.
He unexpectedly pulled her to a halt and turned her around so fast that she was dizzy. She shook her head to get her bearings until she saw that Viktor was standing so close that they were practically touching. He looked down his nose at her. “I can’t be bought with money,” he snarled.
Her breath caught in her throat. He was so close that she had to crane her neck to see his face. His bright blue and purple eyes were boring into hers, but it wasn’t a look of anger. There was something else warring inside of him, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Perhaps it was longing or sorrow. She only knew that there was more to Viktor than she had originally thought.
Standing inches from his chest, she could feel his warmth. Her body became warm and achy as his eyes narrowed and changed from frustrated to curious. Her breathing increased, but not from fear. Why a stranger was making her lustful, she had no idea, but she couldn’t ignore it. She wanted to reach out and touch his stubbled jaw for the pure sensation of it. Her hands twitched and shook from the effort to keep them to herself. She noticed that his breathing had changed as well. It was staggered and uneven. When he bent his head down and parted his lips, she thought he would kiss her, but he abruptly pulled away and released her from his intense gaze.
She took a breath and swallowed harshly, trying to regain her senses. Why in the world would she even consider kissing a man who was ordering her around? Embarrassed and angry with herself for falling into his trap, she pushed his chest and knocked him back on his heels. “Release me!”
He glanced down at his chest where she had touched him and appeared to consider her request. He wet his lips and looked toward the waterfall. “We need to get there before nightfall. There are animal tracks everywhere and it won’t be safe to camp out in the open. We need to find shelter away from the hunting grounds. The resort seems to only own half of this island. The rest of it appears to be natural wildlands. I doubt you noticed that we passed through metal fences and gates surrounding the main compound last night. There were truck paths into the jungle, but they stopped after a point. I have a feeling even the resort employees didn’t traverse this far, which means there could be anything out here. We’re lucky that we haven’t run into anything with teeth so far. I suggest that you listen to me and stop fighting before you get us both killed. I am taking you to my ship and that is the end
of the discussion,” he said calmly. He was more composed than she had seen him so far.
She was surprised by his frankness, but she was grateful for it. She hadn’t thought much about the predators hiding in the trees. She was stuck in the jungle whether she liked it or not and he was the only one who knew where his ship or the resort were. Biting her lip, she agreed to follow him.
Without a word, she marched in the direction they had been going and searched for the waterfall in the distance to gauge how much longer it would take.
Trudging through the dense overgrowth, she listened to him walking behind her. Every so often, he would mutter something unintelligible to himself. Whatever trouble he was in was great enough to stress him to the point of madness. Sometimes he would swear before becoming quiet again. Sighing, she wondered what would make him kidnap a woman who had clearly been through hell only to hand her over to someone else. If she was being used as a pawn in an exchange, then maybe there was another option.
“You said that I would meet the person who sent you. If you won’t accept money, maybe you will accept my help. Despite my current ungodly appearance, I have many resources at my disposal, once I get free from the island. If you are in some kind of trouble, maybe I can help. I know you don’t think much of my fighting skills, but I assure you I can handle myself, when I’m not bound. Let me help you,” she said sincerely.
She turned to look behind her when she didn’t hear Viktor’s footsteps. She saw him frozen in place, lost in thought. Taking advantage of his baffled state, she took a step toward him. “If you believe that the problem is more than one woman can handle, I can tell you I’ve gotten myself out of many dangerous situations. Besides, I have a group of people who can help me. They too are at your disposal, if needed,” she said to sweeten the deal.
He stared at the ground but he didn’t seem relieved or happy about her offer to aid him. If anything, it seemed to throw him into a distressed state. His eyes grew stormy as he looked up at her. His jaw was clenched tightly and his lips disappeared into a thin line. He appeared older than his twenty-something years as if he had aged another twenty years in the span of a second. He opened his mouth twice before speaking. “Walk,” he said in a shaky voice. His fists were balled up and his eye twitched from the strain he was under.
Huffing loudly, she whipped around and continued marching. The first chance she got, she planned to knock him out, steal his backpack, and leave him for the wild animals. She was done trying to help him. She was done waiting for Haydn to get his head out of his ass and be the angel she needed. She was done helping women stuck in a barn. Helping people wasn’t her mission in this world. Punishing the wicked would be her primary mission from now on. The innocent would suffer, as they were meant to, and she would concentrate on inflicting as much pain as possible on the mortal’s tormentors once this was all over. She was done caring about anyone but herself.
“Go fuck yourself,” she muttered. She swore not to utter another word to the despicable man.
Viktor watched her every movement to make sure that she wasn’t planning to run. He observed the way her hips moved as she steadily walked up the incline headed for the higher ground on the interior of the island. He listened to her breathing as she panted and grumbled about how hot it was. He took note of everything she did from the irritated glances she threw at him to the frustrated sighs, every time she tried to push her hair from her face. She was a mystery to him, yet very familiar.
Anjali. Her name this time was Anjali. It was a unique name and pretty to say, but it had struck a chord with him when he heard it. It meant, “a gift from God”. She was his gift from God, though he preferred to think of her as a curse.
He examined the back of her unusual dress, which stood as a constant reminder that the woman he was going to trade for his freedom had a life of her own. She had a family, friends and people who cared about her, ones who would certainly kill him if they knew what he was doing. He tried not to think about who she was and what kind of person she might be. She must be wealthy if she planned to buy her freedom, or perhaps she was an officer of the law since she had spoken of dangerous situations and men who would fight for her. Regardless of who she was, he doubted that the demon would let her live out the rest of her life. He was angry with himself for not asking about her fate, but at the time, he hadn’t cared. He selfishly wanted what he wanted and everyone else could be damned.
He had sailed through the night and into the bright daylight to find the correct island. He took his time scoping it out and deciding on the best location to drop anchor. All the while, he thought about what kind of danger she might be in. Enemies of all shapes and sizes plagued his mind as he prepared to deal with anything that got in his way. He had been truthful about not needing a weapon to handle her, but she had been incorrect in her assumption that he was weaponless. In his backpack lay all manner of items that would deter any villain who preyed upon her, except for one. He should have tried to kill the demon who plagued his existence, but his offer was too tempting.
Why did the demon want her? The better question was why hadn’t he obtained her after years of pursuing her. The one benefit of staying away from her was realizing that he would never have to see the black-eyed man again, once he was finished doing his bidding.
All he had to do was find the woman, summon the demon, hand her over and walk away. It was simple. Yet, if it was his mission, why hadn’t he summoned the demon and made the exchange? He could be living his life blissfully unaware of the woman staring at him as if he were a stranger, yet again. He of course knew why he hadn’t handed her over; he was a masochist and needed psychiatric help.
He continued to trek through the blasted heat as he followed the reason for his misery. She looked different from the last time he’d seen her, though, regardless of her appearance, she was always beautiful. It took all his concentration to ignore her lovely blue eyes and her perpetual sassy attitude so that he could remember why he was here in the first place. He needed to be rid of her.
If he handed the woman over now, he would have to sit alone on the island hating himself. Though he hoped that the demon would keep his word and take his memories, there was no guarantee that he would fulfill his end of the bargain. He wondered if he would feel the loss of her even if he couldn’t remember her. She had made such an impression on him that it stood to reason that he would be ruined regardless of whether he knew her or not. In short, he was fucked.
He flinched when he remembered her accusation of taking delight in her pain. As much as he wanted to be a cold-hearted bastard and cruel to her, she had managed to break his resolve time and again. Whenever he looked at her sun-scorched lips or the dark circles under her eyes, he wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her. Every instinct he possessed told him to tend to her cuts and bruises, but he held firm. He was not here to coddle her or make her feel safe. He was here to retrieve her and hand her over. He was here to summon the demon and move on with his life, yet he couldn’t.
Sadly, just as he had resigned himself to this terrible act, she had done the worst thing imaginable—she had offered to help him. It was the last thing he wanted. Ironically, she couldn’t help him since she was the cause of his suffering. He had treated her poorly, yet she was kind enough to offer her assistance. He felt like a heel. What kind of person could be cruel to someone as lovely as the creature before him? His guilt was tearing him apart.
He rubbed his forehead, tired of contemplating the problem. Selfishly he wanted more time with her as always, but knew it would only bring him more heartache. If he treated her as a prisoner, he could remain detached and indifferent. Yes, that was the best course of action. It was the only way to protect himself from her devastatingly sexy smile and seductive eyes. No matter what color or shape her eyes were, he always fell into their fathomless depths and completely lost himself.
He shook himself from his fantasies about her eyes and measured the distance to the waterfall. They were taking the long
way around the island to his ship, because he wanted to delay the inevitable. If he really was going to lose her forever, he was demented enough to want to steal a few more moments with her. He needed his head examined.
“What are you doing on this island?” he asked before he could stop himself. He wished he had asked the question to learn about the one who had captured her, but he knew it was merely to appease his own curiosity.
She shrugged and kicked a rock through the stream running down the hill to his right. “Someone wanted me to do something that I’m not able to do. Well, technically, I guess I could do it, but it really wouldn’t help anyone. Regardless, he hates me and wants me dead,” she replied bitterly.
“Who captured you?” He finally asked the question that could very well cause him to turn around and face her nemesis responsible for her mistreatment, throwing away all his efforts to date.
“He’s an associate of sorts. He’s supposed to work for me, but he has other plans,” she huffed.
Based on this new information, it sounded like she was a mob boss or drug lord of some kind, though it didn’t fit her personality. Maybe it had to do with her strange disappearances from the world. “Were you on a boat before you were abducted? I don’t understand why you are wearing that dress, or rather half of the dress,” he said, pointing to her top.
She pushed her dark hair out of her face and sighed. “No,” she snickered. “I wasn’t on a boat. I was in a town in Brazil in the middle of a….” She shook her head and refused to continue.
Hearing her about to open up to him, he became desperate for the answer. Despite not caring about her, he couldn’t help but crave more information.
“If that question is too hard, then answer this one. How did you arrive here? I didn’t see any other ships in the area,” he said.
She turned away and didn’t offer up a response. He watched her silently head up the side of a rocky slope and considered if he should help her or not. They had been walking for a long time without a break. His legs were getting stiff from walking over the uneven terrain so it stood to reason that her feet were blistering in shoes that were not hers.
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