by S. E. Smith
Half an hour later, Ross sat on the top step of the gazebo and watched with a disgruntled expression as Gem studied each stone on the path and in the floor of the gazebo. After they’d come to their tentative agreement to help each other, she’d informed him that she needed to know more about what had happened after she was turned to stone, and the runes or whatever were going to tell her. Apparently magic messages were relayed through stones here, and she was expecting mail from her parents.
He had been sorely tempted to make a mad dash down the rock staircase when she’d stepped around him and walked back to the gazebo. He probably would have if he hadn’t felt the ground tremble. He knew what an earthquake felt like, and the idea of being on the stairs or the beach in the event of a major collision with the water far below didn’t sound like much fun.
Not to mention he had made a promise to help Gem find her parents. After a brief argument with his conscience about whether he wanted to die like a piece of shit burying his head in the sand or die being a man of his word, he had grudgingly turned around and followed her back to the gazebo.
What could he say? He wasn’t a team player, but he was here, that was enough for now. It wasn’t like he could actually help with whatever it was that she was doing. Tired and more than a little sore, he had parked his butt on the top step and taken the opportunity to observe his frozen princess while she was preoccupied with reading the stones.
Ross put a hand over his mouth to stifle the snort of amusement when she wiggled her fingers near her head, and her hair floated upward. He knew that she did it to get it out of her way, but it looked like her hair was caught in the wind from a leaf blower. Of course, now that her hair no longer concealed her face, he could study her lips again.
He was angry at himself for it, but fuck, he was a man, wasn’t he? And damn if she didn’t make him fantasize about big beds and messy sheets, with that long dark brown hair spread out beneath him, her head falling backward as he rode her, those full lips tilted in a smile with a dangerous edge, the golden highlights in her hair shining in the sun. Her slender nose was kissable and those stormy, lavender eyes—
“Where did you meet the Sea Witch?” Gem asked, pulling him out of his fantasy.
“What? Right, Magna, well, I was diving off the coast, and you could say we bumped into each other. Do you have many mermaids here?” he asked, picking up a stick off the ground and breaking pieces off of it.
She looked up at him with a frown. “Not here. I told you, we are Elementals. We can control water but not on the same level as Orion. He can control the oceans,” she replied.
Ross looked at her with a quizzical expression. “Orion? Like the constellation?” he asked.
“Like the King of the Isle of the Sea Serpent and ruler of all of the merpeople,” she corrected.
“Of course, that Orion. How remiss of me to confuse the two,” he dryly replied.
She straightened and studied him for a moment. “Are you mocking me?” she inquired.
He grinned at her. “Maybe,” he replied.
Gem raised an eyebrow. “You are going to be very irritating during our quest, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Every chance I get, Princess,” he retorted.
She shrugged her slender shoulders. “Suit yourself, but be warned that I do not irritate easily, and when I am…” She paused and smiled at him. “… I can be very difficult. ”
“Oh, I’m sure you can, Princess. I look forward to seeing you all fired up,” he replied in a suggestive voice.
“How are your nuts? Have they slid out of your throat yet?” she inquired in a falsely sweet voice.
Ross instinctively reached for his groin and eyed her warily. She chuckled and returned her focus to the stones. He had to hand it to her; she didn’t easily fluster.
“When was the last time you saw Magna?” she continued.
“Don’t know exactly. It was the middle of the day before I left my world and then all of a sudden it was the middle of some night here, so I’m not sure what the hell the time difference is, but it feels like I saw her a couple days ago. At the restaurant in town – Yachats, that is, in Oregon… on Earth, where I live. She was having lunch with Gabe and Kane, her guys. I saw her and Kane come into the pub, so I went to have a chat with her when he went to the bathroom. I asked her if she was real, she said yes, then she handed me the shell. I left after that. That was it. I decided to take my boat out soon after, and I ended up here,” he said, breaking off and throwing tiny pieces of the stick on the ground as he spoke.
“Who are Gabe and Kane?” she asked.
“Well, they were born on Earth, I can tell you that much. Gabe works for the US Fisheries and Kane is the local doctor. They have this relationship thing going on with Magna – you know, a ménage thing with two guys and one woman,” he explained with a grin.
Gem looked up at him. “You sound surprised,” she said.
The grin on his face faded, and he shrugged. “Yeah, well, it isn’t all that common where I come from,” he muttered.
“Ah,” she murmured.
Ross frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked.
This time she shrugged. “You sound jealous or perhaps you are just prudish,” she suggested.
“Listen, Princess, I’m about the least prudish guy you’ll ever meet. If that’s their thing, more power to them. I don’t like to share. I’m selfish that way,” he stated with a glare.
“Ah,” she replied.
Ross gritted his teeth. She had a glitter in her eyes that he couldn’t place. Skepticism, amusement… pleasure? Fucking woman and her inscrutable expressions. When she raised her eyebrows as if she didn’t believe him and looked away, he had to clench his fists to keep from wrapping them around her beautiful neck.
He threw the remaining pieces of the stick on the ground and stood up, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stepped over to where she was studying the stones. The designs on the stones were moving. She frowned in puzzlement, muttering that whatever they were saying didn’t make sense.
“This can’t be right,” Gem murmured.
Ross didn’t know what she was talking about. All he could see were a bunch of squiggly lines, but honestly he was past the point of caring. Fighting Gem and fantasizing about her had distracted him for a good long while, but now he was so damn thirsty that all he could think about was finding some water. He ran his hands through his disheveled hair.
“Listen, do you know if there is a stream, water fountain, spring, or even better yet, a bar anywhere around here?” he asked with growing desperation.
She looked up at him and frowned. “There is a river deep in the forest, but until I understand what the stones are saying, it is not safe to continue our journey. Why do you ask?”
He shrugged and slid his hands back into the front pockets of his jeans. It didn’t look like he would get anything to drink any time soon. Pulling one hand out, he rubbed his dry lips.
“I’m dying of thirst,” he admitted with a crooked twist of his lips. “I feel like I swallowed half the ocean last night, and I haven’t had anything to drink since. ”
Her expression cleared, and he saw what looked like a flash of guilt cross her face before she hid it. She walked over to a plant that had extremely large, pitcher-shaped leaves. She carefully plucked a leaf off and brought it over to him. He took it from her when she held it out.
“Hold this. I should have thought of that when you so calmly explained what happened to you,” she said with a sympathetic smile.
Ross chuckled and shook his head. “Calm, yeah, right,” he mumbled and frowned as he looked down at the leaf. “So, what do I do? Eat it?”
Gem laughed and shook her head. Lifting one hand to support his, she moved her other hand slowly over the leaf. As she did, droplets of water formed and began to pool in the bottom of the green bowl. Ross snapped his head up and stared at her in amazement before looking at her hand again as she moved it in a slow circular motion
.
“How are you doing this?” he whispered, pushing past the dryness.
“I told you. You are on the Isle of the Elementals,” she replied with a small smile, indicating with her hand that he should drink the water. “My people can control the elements while we are on this island. We can do it on others as well, but our control is not as strong as it is here. Here, we are one with fire, water, earth, air, plants, ice, light, and darkness. ”
“This is pretty cool. About the only thing I can do is piss off the back of my boat on a calm day without falling overboard,” he muttered.
Her delighted laugh told him that he’d not only spoken out loud, but clearly enough for her to hear what he’d said. An uncharacteristic flush rose in his cheeks. He lifted the leaf and drank the cool, refreshing water. The action helped to fight his thirst and briefly hide his red cheeks.
Way to impress her, genius, he thought with a hefty dose of self-disgust.
“I probably shouldn’t have shared that,” he finally said.
“It was a very… uh… visual image,” she acknowledged with a grin.
“Can I get a refill?” he asked.
“Of course,” she replied.
She reached up and cupped his hand again when he held out the leaf, then waved her hand. A small cloud formed where her hand was circling and it rained into the leaf. He grinned when the leaf filled with water again.
Lifting the leaf to his lips, he drank deeply from it. He looked up and connected with her beautiful lavender gaze. He swallowed the cool liquid, feeling the dry, scratchy soreness dissolving when the moisture washed over it.
Finally he felt satisfied, and his mind was no longer on his thirst. Instead he took in her gorgeous features as she stood close to him, probably watching him to see if he was alright now. A faint line of freckles caressed her nose. Her face was heart-shaped, and her lips were perfect for…. Some of the water went down the wrong way, and he began to cough. Damn, he needed to stop making a complete ass out of himself in front of her. He couldn’t even take a drink without choking.
“Thanks,” he choked out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and taking a deep breath as he lowered the leaf. “What do the stones tell you? Did your dad show you how to get past whatever he was warning you about?”
Gem continued to stare at him for several seconds before she flushed and turned her head to look back down at the stones. Her hair danced around her face when she shook her head, and he had to clench his fingers around the leaf to keep from reaching out and touching the swirling, shimmering mass.
“No. I don’t understand what they are saying. I mean, I do, but it doesn’t make any sense,” she said, turning to walk back to the first stone. “The warnings are not from my father or mother. ”
“Who are they from then?” Ross asked, grabbing his jacket and sweater off the railing of the gazebo before walking over to stand next to her.
Gem looked up at him with a troubled expression. “They are from the Sea Witch,” she replied in a quiet voice.
“I told you that she didn’t seem like she was so bad,” Ross muttered. “So, what do we do first?”
6
Magna, the Sea Witch had warned them that there would be obstacles ahead, but the warnings had been nearly indecipherable. It would have been helpful if they had included more details. She wasn’t even sure if they could be trusted!
There had also been no mention of the black shadow that had chased her. There was the warning her father had given her – that he would place traps to slow the creature down. She was a bit more familiar with what he might do. While she knew that none of the traps her father would place would be lethal, she couldn’t be so sure of the ones that Magna had warned her about. They would need to proceed with caution until she had a better understanding of what everything meant.
She looked away from the stones to cast a quick glance at Ross under her eyelashes. He confused her too, and if she was honest with herself, frightened her more than a little. Her energy liked and was drawn to him.
Each Elemental was perfectly balanced, both with nature and with their people. This resulted in a harmony with the world around them that allowed Gem’s people to interact with the Elements. He was her balance – Goddess help her!
I don’t know what is worse – finding my potential mate just before I’m probably going to die or discovering he is the exact opposite of what I was hoping for – right before I die! It also doesn’t help that he is completely oblivious to our connection and its importance to me. Maybe it is just as well since he wants to leave if we live through this! she silently grumbled.
She shook her head, and took a deep breath as she felt the island shudder and groan again. She pursed her lips in determination. There wasn’t time to think about what the colors connecting them meant. Right now, they had even bigger things to worry about. She looked at him and realized he was gazing back at her with an expectant expression.
At least he isn’t heading for the beach like he planned to do earlier, she thought.
“We head through the forest to the palace,” she replied in a clipped tone before she turned on her heel and walked away.
She could feel Ross’s stare on her stiff shoulders. At the moment, she didn’t care. She had more important things to worry about right now than her feelings for this strange man. If her calculations were correct, they had three, maybe four days, at the most, to make it to the palace and find her parents.
Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have been an issue since the path to the palace would normally only take a half a day at most if they walked it. The problem was that the path had changed. It was now littered with dangers. They would have to proceed with caution.
“Hey, what about the booby-traps? What did the stones say?” Ross asked from behind her.
“We will deal with them when they occur,” she replied over her shoulder.
Gem gasped in surprise when Ross’s warm hands spanned her waist, and he lifted her up off the ground. She glanced over her shoulder, speechless as he turned around and placed her on the path behind him. A dark scowl creased his brow.
“Listen, Princess, you’re a lot more important to this mission than I am. If there’s danger, I go first,” Ross retorted in a slightly strained tone.
Gem released her breath when he pulled his hands away from her and quickly picked up his jacket and sweater from the ground where he’d dropped them. She stared up at him in surprise when he straightened up and leveled a look at her that brooked no argument.
“But…” she responded. He took a step closer to her, and the small space between them filled with heat. She swallowed. “Alright.” She reluctantly smiled.
He grimly smiled back. “I’ll tell you what, though,” he casually remarked, “if I get in trouble, you can kick whatever it is in the ass after I distract it.” His smile turned genuine and impish for a moment before he turned his back to her.
It took Gem a moment to realize Ross was teasing her. She chuckled and shook her head. He continued to surprise her.
Score one for the strange man, she thought with a grimace. Well, maybe two. First my energy accepts him and now this unexpected gallantry!
Shaking her head again, she started after him. She admired his body as she followed him. His dark brown hair was shaggy as if he had trimmed it himself, and he had a good day’s growth on his jawline. Over the past few hours his brown eyes had sparked with his fighting spirit and glowed with warmth and reserve as if he had been hurt and was trying to hide it. He had broad shoulders that pulled his black cotton shirt taut across them, and his figure tapered down to a narrow waist. He also had a very cute butt.
She flushed at her thoughts. Still, her gaze moved down again. She smiled in amusement. She bet he didn’t know that he had a hole beneath the corner of his back pocket, giving her a tantalizing glimpse of…
“You aren’t wearing underclothes!” she squeaked before blushing a bright red.
Ross stumbled on the uneven path, t
urned around and stared at her with a stunned look on his face. She blushed even more when he hiked up one of those devilish eyebrows in a silent question. She looked away from the intense stare.
“How would you know that?” he asked.
Gem returned her eyes to his face and boldly stared back at him. Biting her bottom lip, she fought the smile that tugged at her lips, trying to hide her reaction. She keenly felt his scrutiny of her every move, but she couldn’t help inspecting him from the front as well, knowing that he’d know she was checking him out. She paused in her study when she reached the zipper of his pants.
“You have a hole – near your back pocket. I could see that you weren’t wearing anything underneath,” she mumbled, embarrassed.
Ross took a step closer to her, touched her chin, and tilted her head back a little. She looked up at him with a wary expression, wondering what he would say about her confession. She really wished she could learn to keep her mouth shut.
She gaped at him when he bent his head, pausing when his lips were just a whisper away from her mouth. Her pupils dilated as heat spread inside her again, this time not from embarrassment, but from a sudden overwhelming need to kiss him and see if he tasted as good as he looked.
“Underwear is uncomfortable,” he murmured against her lips. “I hate being confined. ”
“Oh,” she breathed, laying her hand against his chest, her imagination running wild at the thought of him ‘not confined’.
Gem blinked when he suddenly pulled away.
“I’ve always liked my freedom,” he muttered as he turned back around.
Gem huffed, aggravated and frustrated at the loss of his nearness. She glared at his back again, refusing to let her gaze stray to the small hole.
Well, I’ll keep it from straying later, she amended, watching as he bent over and picked up a long, thick stick.
“What are you doing?” she asked, curious.
He waved it around and tapped it against the ground several times. He grinned at her with a mischievous grin. She silently swore. He knew exactly how frustrated she was with him.