Reynner took form on a flat boulder at the foot of the mountains. His mouth flattened when he thought of the last time he’d seen her with Aerén—he still wanted to break every bone in Aerén’s body for kissing Eve.
Whatever reason Aerén had for bringing Eve to the falls, it had damn well better be good.
Despite the roaring water, the tinny sounds of steel clashing caught his attention. Fear raced through him. In preternatural speed, he headed toward the clanging coming from the middle of the forest. And staggered to a halt in shock.
A small sword in her hand, Eve faced Aerén in a crouch then she sprinted, and Aerén came at her in a move so fast, Reynner flew in front of her to prevent the attack. Eve’s warm body crashed into him. He hauled her into his arms, swung around in a protective move and waited for Aerén’s sword to strike him instead.
“Christ—Reynner, I could have hurt you!” She thumped him hard on his chest, eyes bright with fear. No longer a smoky green, they now sparked with specks of the mating blue. And would for a few more hours before fading.
“He thinks I would have hurt you,” Aerén told Eve, amusement quirking his lips.
“Had you done so, you’d already be on your way to Elysium.” Reynner cut him a lethal look, unable to get over his scare.
Aerén raised his hands in peace and stepped back.
“No fighting, Eve. Ever. Understand me?” Reynner growled. She, of course, scowled and tried to shake off his hold. “This isn’t a damn game.” He shook her, hoping some sense would settle in her stubborn head. “You could get hurt.”
“Exactly the reason why I want to be able to defend myself,” she retorted. “We’re going to look for the Stone, and with your enemies lurking about, I am a target. I refuse to be helpless.”
“And you think I wouldn’t be able to protect you?”
“You can do anything.” She leaned back as far as his arms allowed and glowered. “But I have learned in life to expect the unexpected.”
His gut twisted. With Inanna and Darkreans on the loose, Eve would have to be protected twenty-four seven.
“Good thing, I’ll be coming along, too,” Aerén said, determination hardening his features. A look Reynner knew far too well. “Fine.”
With a nod, Aerén dematerialized.
“Doesn’t matter,” Eve huffed. “I still want to know at least some form of self-defense. I’m not totally useless. I can learn.”
“I never thought you were, Eve,” Reynner said quietly. “What you did with the scroll is remarkable. The way you understood it…” He shook his head, still unable to comprehend how she knew what to do.
She shrugged. “It was instinct.”
“Come, let’s go back to the aerie. I’ll teach you some defense and maim techniques in the gym.”
He may hate the prince anywhere near Eve, but Aerén would be able to keep her safe when he wasn’t around for whatever reason.
Yeah right—whatever reason. There was only one.
Inanna.
As they walked out from the forest clearing, the wide space Eve put between them sparked his temper. “You got your moment from me, so now you keep your distance?”
A shocked sound left her. Color flared across her expressive features as her gaze met his. The evidence of their bonding, staring him in the face, ramped up his virulent mood.
She scowled. “What do you want from me, Reynner?”
Everything! I want every damn thing—to be the very air you breathe.
Except, he could offer her nothing, but danger. And a damaged, ruined mate.
***
“You’re not paying attention,” Eve heard Reynner growl as he called out instructions. Something about how to evade an attack, but she couldn’t get her mind focused on his coaching.
“I thought you wanted to learn to defend yourself?”
She didn't answer. Recalling a move Eric had taught her, she picked up her knee and would have gotten Reynner in the crotch if he hadn’t leaped back. She ignored the warning glitter in his dark gaze.
His comment about her using him had stung. She’d only said that because a man like him would not want forever, especially not with a mortal. But the uneasy feeling continued to plague her.
Wherever he’d disappeared to until this afternoon had set off his mood. A familiar scent drifted off him…one she’d smelled before. And then she knew. He’d come back reeking of the same exotic perfume as the night in her apartment not so long ago. Now it clung to his clothes, and it made something inside of her shrivel up.
“What’s that smell on you?” she asked in a tight voice, keeping away from him until she had her answer.
“Sweat.”
“No.” She tried to clamp down on her jealousy and the possessiveness that grew in spades. “It has the aroma of…” In her mind, she ran through all the fragrances she was familiar with.
Distracted, she saw him come at her a second too late. He moved in low and grabbed her by the waist. She tripped, he twisted, took the brunt of the fall, and she landed on him instead.
“That’s why you always, always pay attention.”
Scowling, she pushed up and sat astride his belly, trying not to be aware of his hard, warm body between her legs. His hands settled on her hips. He looked so tempting lying there, his pale hair a sharp contrast against the gray training mat.
“You smell of spice, musk—like Opium perfume. Who is she?”
Being this close, she saw the way his eyes darkened at her question. A nerve pulsed hard on his jaw. Well, she didn’t care if she was trespassing in his personal space since he was all but camping in hers.
His grip on her hips loosened. “Why would you think it’s a she?”
“Don’t. It’s the same smell I got that night you suddenly left my apartment and came back late.”
He shifted her off his stomach and rose to his feet. “We’re leaving for New York in a few minutes.” He stalked for the door then stopped. A hand on the frame, he glanced back to where she still sat on the floor, said in a voice so low it chilled her to her soul, “She is my penance for my stupidity to trust a woman.”
Chapter 19
Eve disappeared into her bedroom soon after they arrived, leaving a curious Aerén to explore her home, while North pit-stopped at her bookshelf.
Reynner stood there in the living room, all tight-lipped and filled with hard-eyed cynicism. Doubtless, he was still mad at her. But his comment about the spicy woman hurt.
Did he think she was trying to trap him, too?
Her lips compressing, she yanked on a loose white shorts that ended mid-thigh. Then pulled on a light blue, strappy top, before twisting her hair into a loose topknot.
Inhaling deeply and striving for calm, she shoved her feet into flip-flops and made her way to the living room.
The spicy aroma of peppers and soy wafted through the small apartment as Aerén and North sat down for their Chinese takeout dinner.
“Reyn, you joining us?” Aerén asked.
“In a minute—” Reynner turned as she approached. His gaze swept down her and up again to linger on her face.
At that utterly male look, he almost destroyed her composure. But she could do little to stop her cheeks from heating up like a damn furnace. Hastily, she sank into the chair he held out.
“I’ve finally discovered the food of my soul—Chinese take-out,” Aerén said, digging into his beef chow mein.
“Anything edible is your soul’s food,” North grunted.
Aerén snorted. “Eve, your opinion?”
She reached for her water and took a sip. Smiled. “It’s my fav, too.”
“We have a lot to do,” Reynner said, sitting beside her and pulling them back to the job at hand.
A moment later, he set a plate piled with noodles and chicken strips in front of her. He shifted in his seat, and his jean-cladded thigh brushed against her bare one, finally wrecking her calm.
She stared at the food, her hunger deserting her. All she cou
ld think off was his big body sliding against hers. She had to steel herself not to reach out and touch him.
As Reynner ate his own food, he spoke to the others about the fight with the Darkreans. He appeared cool, focused, while her stomach tied itself in knots.
He’s not interested in more, Eve.
She pushed the noodles around on her plate.
“You’re not eating.”
She blinked and glanced at Reynner. He moved his empty plate aside and nodded to her still full one.
“I'm not hungry.”
Those indigo eyes narrowed. “Try.”
Her irritation flared at his order, or maybe it was because of her unrequited feelings, she snapped, “Don’t worry, I won't shrivel up from hunger and faint mid-quest—I’ll find your artifact.”
His mouth tightened.
With a sigh, Eve stopped baiting him. She picked up her fork, scooped up noodles, and started eating.
“You wounded Sebris. He’ll equate then be back,” North warned, pulling Reynner’s attention away from her. “And he’ll have reinforcements around.”
“Yeah, he will,” Reynner muttered. Leaning back in his chair, and his thigh pressed against hers again.
Her grip tightened on her fork. If she moved away, she’d probably end up on Aerén’s lap.
Ugh, it made her realized now just how small the circular dining table was.
Eve kept her focus on North and Aerén, who started to discuss possible locations of the Stone.
“The artifact is eons old,” North said, drinking some of his Pepsi. “It could be anywhere, possibly buried in the labyrinth beneath the city.”
“We could try cemeteries, bridges, and museums,” Aerén suggested, reaching for a spring roll.
“Hell, no. I’m not breaking into a museum again,” Eve retorted, setting her glass down with a little thump.
Aerén grinned, took a bite of his roll, chewed. “Hmmm, maybe we should start searching those first?”
“We have little choice but to search all,” Reynner cut off Aerén’s teasing. “Despite the artifact being lost eons ago, it will not be buried, but hidden in plain sight. We are talking about ancient magic, far more powerful than anyone has ever seen. The Stone will want to be found, just not by us. It’s why Eve will have to be there.”
He leaned his elbows on the table, moved his water glass to another spot, and looked at her. “Your show’s in a few days, right?”
She nodded, and ate another bite of her food.
“What show?” Aerén asked.
“Eve’s a sculptor. She debuts her work Saturday night.”
“Wonderful. Do I get to see it?”
“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Eve told Aerén and pushed away from the small dining table, needing coffee more than food.
“No, you can’t,” Reynner said, sounding a little terse. “I need you here to keep an eye on things. The Darkreans won’t give up. We are too close to finding the Stone to make careless mistakes now.”
Eve left them to their talks, headed to the galley kitchen, and put on the coffee pot.
“Are we going to dematerialize to these places to begin our search?” North asked.
“No. The distance is too far, and Eve doesn’t care for that mode of transport. I’ll lease an SUV or something. And no, Aerén, you cannot drive that or the Porsche,” Reynner said.
Aerén evidently had already done so.
A chair scraped against the wooden floor, then Aerén said, “Before I leave this realm, it will be my personal quest to do just that.”
Eve glanced at them. He winked at her as he crossed to the kitchen. Smiling, she opened the cupboard above her head and reached for the mug when Aerén grasped her by the waist and set her aside.
A low, ferocious growl echoed through the apartment. Startled, Eve dropped the mug. Only Aerén’s quick reflexes stopped it from crashing to the floor. She spun around to witness Reynner pinning Aerén with a lethal glare.
Aerén didn’t seem fazed at the warning. He cocked a taunting brow at Reynner, set the mug on the counter, and sauntered over to the fridge. He nabbed an orange soda and headed back for the dining table.
“You’re asking for trouble,” North muttered to him.
Reynner’s gaze stayed on her. Biting her lip at his show of aggression, Eve turned to take out the rest of the mugs, except the other two sat on the higher shelf. Darn, she’d have to hop on the counter.
A powerful forearm reached from behind her for the elusive cups. And a cool, heart-poundingly familiar scent of wild forest surrounded her. Reynner set them down on the counter.
Eve twisted around in the narrow space and was enclosed by his body heat. She had to force the words out. “Thank you.”
He nodded.
However, meeting his dark gaze, uneasiness tugged at her. And standing so close, the tension in him vibrated through her like a taut rubber band. She couldn’t stop herself from asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
She wasn’t buying it. Something was off with him, had been since they got back from Exilum.
North collected the dishes and leftovers and brought them over. “Do we start scouting this evening?”
“No, not tonight. After Eve’s showing.”
Reynner’s clipped tone pushed her to act. She grabbed his forearm when he would have walked away. He didn’t speak, just looked at her.
She took in the light sheen of perspiration on his face, almost like... “You’re in pain.”
“You’re imagining things, Eve. I’m fine.”
***
Reynner leaned against the counter a few feet from Eve, and struggled to breathe through the pain garroting him.
He shouldn’t have said what he had when she’d asked about Inanna’s scent on him. Eve didn't deserve his anger. But seeing her with Aerén, and jealousy, that capricious bastard reared its ugly head that she turned to Aerén, not him for her needs.
Because you weren't around, dumbass!
How the hell could he reveal to his mate his unending shame? One moment of weakness that had bound him for eternity to a vicious goddess. Forever at her beck and call.
The strong scent of brewed coffee drifted through the kitchen, obliterating Eve’s soft fragrance as she poured the fragrant liquid into mugs and set them on the counter. Her gaze slipped back to him, a frown marring her brow.
He had to quell the urge to pull her close. If he did, he wouldn’t let her go, and he had to get out of there. The shit scorching his chest had him reaching his limits of endurance.
Inanna wouldn’t win this round.
Biting down on his molars, he didn’t dare let Eve see, or sense his discomfort. He’d blocked her from his thoughts and his mind after their bonding because he didn’t want her to experience the agony he lived with. And she sure as hell would if he left their telepathic path open.
Unable to linger any longer, Reynner grasped Eve’s hand and pulled her away from the kitchen. He stopped at the passage entrance. “I have to go to Exilum for a while.”
“But we just got back…” Her worried gaze darted over his face. “Reynner, you’re scaring me. Tell me what’s wrong.”
My entire life, my beautiful mate—my entire fucked-up life.
“I’ll be back in the morning.” He didn’t give her a chance to say more. “North,” he called, striding to the front door. The warrior turned from where he stood gazing out the window. “Don’t leave her alone, not even for a second.”
“Reynner, wait.” Eve rushed after him.
He shook his head, thankful when North intercepted her, and walked out, only to find Aerén hard on his heels. Shit. He didn’t need another lecture about why he refused to give in to Inanna.
He’d told Aerén only the bare facts about his foolishness with the goddess.
“Why don’t you just go to her?” Aerén demanded. “End this torment. Inanna would get bored soon enough. All goddesses are fickle when something’s too easy.”
“Once was enough,” he said, voice rough. “Do you really think I’ll go to her, especially now?”
“Does Eve know?”
“About Inanna? No. And Inanna can never know about Eve.”
Aerén shook his head and sighed. “To quote you, you’re so screwed.”
***
At his aerie, Reynner made his way down the narrow, shadowy flight of stairs to the crude, dug-out archway leading into the dungeon. Unbreakable metal bars ran from floor to ceiling, the gate stood open. Inside, chains with manacles were built into the granite rock face.
Hephaestus, the Greek god, had made them for him eons ago, just for this purpose. He’d used them often, and probably would for the rest of his screwed-up life.
With his mind, he willed the torches on the wall to life. Their flames cast a dim glow in the gloomy place. The small, barred window didn’t help since it was night and just a few stars twinkled in the distance.
Reynner pulled off his tee, tossed it aside and rolled his shoulders.
“Go,” he ordered Aerén. Inanna had summoned him far too often recently. He refused to play her games any longer. She’d make him pay tonight, of that he had little doubt.
So be it.
“Reyn, ask Lucan, or go back to Empyrea. Allatus will surely know of a way to break this curse,” Aerén said from behind the closed gates.
“It’s all right. I’m used to this.” No need to repeat the story of the lengths he’d gone to remove the shit branded on him. He paced the coarse, dusty floors. Too edgy to do little else, he flexed his fingers. The mark on his chest glowed so brightly—hell, he didn’t need the torches—he’d light up the entire damn place soon enough. Just as well he couldn’t will the shackles unlocked while in pain. He had to be calm for that to occur.
“Go, but seal the stairway entrance to the dungeon.” An order his prince couldn’t refuse. For his own protection and that of the people around him, Reynner had to be alone. Sealed in. Or he’d do irrevocable damage.
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