The heat of his palm spread to create a type of emotional blanket. It felt good. Right. Damn near necessary.
“Ian thinks I need to get out more. Be with people.” She grumbled the confession. “I don’t…” The right words wouldn’t come. “I don’t fit. Ian’s one of the few people I click with. Everyone else either confounds me or lodges a knife in my back.” Not that she was bitter, or anything.
His steel-gray gaze met hers, steady and unblinking. “Maybe you’re in the wrong place.”
Lexi’s senses prickled, ready for action. Not so much from what he’d said so much as how he’d said it. Temptation with a trace of caution.
Eryx shifted in the booth and eyeballed Ludan at the bar. His lips tightened and his eyes narrowed.
Ludan frowned and refocused on his coffee.
With a slow inhalation, Eryx cupped her jaw. “What kind of woman are you? If you see a challenge, do you take it? Or do you sit at the side of the rapids and watch while others race by?”
An odd question. Deep. Or could just be a sneaky way of asking, “Your place or mine?” “It depends.”
Eryx kept his silence, no movement but for the gentle tightening of his fingers against her skin.
“I crave the rapids, but if my intuition warns me against it, I’ll sit them out.” There. Truth and a warning all at once.
He traced her lower lip with his thumb. “I understand instinct.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “I’m going with mine.”
He lowered his head.
A kiss. Dear God, he was going to kiss her. Here. With everyone watching.
Her lips tingled and parted, very much on board. Her heart pounded, frantic with indecision and panic. She should push away. Keep her distance.
His lips brushed hers and flutters rippled through her belly. A shaky exhalation slipped past her suddenly ravenous mouth, mingling with his warm breath. Sensual. Intimate despite the clothes between them.
Eryx rested his forehead against hers and sucked in a heavy breath. “I think you don’t fit in because you’re in the wrong place.”
What? He wanted to talk now? It was all she could do to breathe and feel at the same time. “You mean the wrong job?”
“No, I mean the wrong place.” His voice grew stronger. Firm. Determined. “You’re not among the people you were born to be with.”
The tiny flame of hope in her heart sputtered, and a chill settled in her chest. She pushed away, desire dropping to something short of disgust. The good-looking ones always ended up a few notches shy of sane. “You know, I think I’m going to head home. Can you let me out?”
Eryx held her in place. “A white sand beach wrapped in black rock walls. You’ve dreamt of the place.” His thick voice, little more than a whisper, dripped with urgency.
The picture he painted pulled an instant image from her recurring dreams, but she smacked it down. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s Hawaii, right? I’d love to go there. Now let me out.”
“The sky holds a constant rainbow. Everywhere you look the colors shift, some more prominent from different angles.”
Lexi’s heart catapulted back to where his lips had sent it minutes before. She swallowed to hide her surprise.
“White barked trees with dark veins. Deep evergreen leaves shaped like feathers hang loose toward the ground. The tips are indigo blue.”
Denise clunked plates on the table.
He couldn’t know about those images. No one knew about her dreams. Not even Ian. “Why are you telling me this?”
Eryx held her gaze, his lips pressed tight for so long she thought he wouldn’t answer. “Because I searched your memories. And the places you see in your dreams? That’s where I’m from. Where I think you’re from.”
The white noise turned deafening.
“I think you’re one of our lost.”
Chapter 3
Not the smoothest delivery Eryx had ever given. If he was smart he’d cheat and read Lexi’s emotions. As a male Shantos he carried the sum of all Myren gifts—a helluva perk right about now if he’d lower his standards to do it.
She paled and tucked her arms in tight.
Fuck it.
He opened his senses. Panic, sharp and hot, flared across his chest. Lexi.
“Let me out.” Lexi dragged her purse out and shoved his shoulder. “I need air, let me out.”
He slid from the booth.
Lexi darted toward the door.
“Handle the tab,” he said to Ludan, still perched on a barstool with coffee in hand. “And keep the waitress busy.” The last thing he needed right now were interruptions and her frown said she was on the verge of intervention.
He barreled through the doors and snatched Lexi’s arm as she swung her car door wide. “Lexi, wait.”
She jerked away and her purse thunked against the Jeep. “Leave me alone.” Her voice trembled.
With a quick swipe, he cinched his arm around her waist and steered her to the rear of her car. “Lexi, breathe. Just breathe.” He pressed her against the Jeep, his thighs on either side of hers yet still far enough away she had space. He cupped her face, tight so she couldn’t evade. “I’m not crazy. I swear it. Hear me out.”
“I’ve heard you out.” She batted at his hands, face flushed. “You’re nuts.”
“You said you used your instincts. Use them now. Dig deep and tell me what you feel.” It was a gamble. With her this keyed up, the tactic could backfire, but it was a damn sight better than letting her run and hide now that he’d opened a vault he couldn’t reseal.
Huffing, she pressed her palms against the Jeep. Her eyes softened, and energy rippled across his shoulders.
“Your friend said you’re tired.” Hopefully the tie to someone she trusted would make her listen.
She relaxed a fraction.
“If I’m right, it’s with good reason. You need Eden’s energy to thrive.”
“Eden?” Her voice quivered and her gaze darted around the parking lot, but she grasped his wrist. Not like she meant to shove him away, but more like she hung on for dear life.
“Eden. Where I’m from. Where I think you’re from.”
Inside, the waitress gestured enthusiastically, her smile bright. Whatever Ludan had said or done was working.
He cupped Lexi’s neck. “Reach out. Use your senses and feel me. I know this is fast and I swear I’ll explain everything if you promise not to run.”
A semi roared past on the highway, and crickets’ chirping filled the void as the truck lumbered away.
An intimate stroke of energy coiled around him. She was only gauging his intent, feeling him out as he’d asked, but damn.
He groaned and pulled her tight against him, hands buried her silky hair. “Praise The Great One, that feels good.” Her lips were so close. Full and slightly parted. A natural, dusky rose. He pressed his hips forward and her softness yielded to his.
Lexi gasped. “What feels good? What are you doing?” Breathy. A little shaken, but right there with him. She hummed beneath him, and her blue-gray eyes darkened.
“Your energy.” He traced her jawline with his lips and cupped her ass, imagining the action without the barrier of her jeans. “It’s strong enough I can feel it.”
He had to be careful. One slip of his own energy and he’d trigger her awakening if she was Myren, but damned if he could navigate reason beyond that. Not with her husky voice and the soft press of her breasts against him.
“Stop.” She shoved his chest and tried to wriggle away.
He froze. Stop meant stop in his book, but the energy coming off her didn’t match her command. Gripping her shoulders, he eased back only enough to make eye contact. No way was he letting her run from what burned between them.
“Energy? Really?” Her voice had an arctic bite. “Christ, I’m stupid. I’ve heard a million
come-ons, but making up some bullshit place called Eden and saying you feel my energy? You expect me to buy that bit?”
Eryx got up nose to nose, her breath so warm and sweet he thought about carting her home, the tenets of his race be damned. “It’s not a come-on and you know it. You felt it.”
Something burned in her gaze. Pain? Fear?
He sampled her emotions and nearly buckled beneath the intensity. The acrid taste of hurt, but underneath it was a burning pulse. Need. Pure and simple. He locked his arms around her, one hand fisted in her hair. “Where I come from, a man doesn’t play games. Partners honor what they feel and act on what they need.” He brushed his lips against hers and reveled in her subtle tremor. “You touched me in a way you can’t yet comprehend, and I responded. You responded. It’s natural and there’s not a damned thing dishonest about it.”
He trailed his tongue across her lower lip. Bubble gum. Not overpowering, but enough to test his control. To drag him deeper. “Are you going to listen to your past? Or the part of you that knows this is right?”
Her fingers dug into his shoulders.
He braced for her to push him away. “It’s all you, Lexi. Your choice. I won’t ask for more than you’re willing to give, but honesty is non-negotiable. Step away if you can’t face it, but don’t lay the faults of other men at my feet as an excuse.”
She blinked and her eyes sharpened, all the softness in her face replaced with acute awareness. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yes you did.” He pressed his hands against the Jeep’s rear window, caging her. “I don’t blame you for it. It’s how sexuality works here. But it’s not that way in Eden, and won’t be that way between us. Ever.” He inched close, desperate for her touch. “Now, are you going to take what you need, or leave us both miserable?”
She licked her lip, innocent and seductive in one swipe. “You’re different.”
“More than you know. And I’ll show you, but you could put me out of my fucking misery with a taste of those sweet lips before I do.”
She leaned in.
Her lips met his and a carnal one-two punch ripped reality out from underneath him. The slick heat of her mouth. Her needy little moans. The sensual flex of her hips against his. The waiting and searching to find her was worth it. Every damned second of it.
He skimmed her waist, her jeans rough beneath his fingers. The edge of her tank teased his knuckles as he caressed underneath. Just one touch of skin. That’s all he needed.
Wind gusted leaves across the asphalt.
Warning tingles flared across Eryx’s neck. With Myren speed, he swept Lexi into the shadows of the restaurant, shielding her from the hidden presence he sensed as he sent a mental summons to Ludan.
A tall male with long dark hair shimmered into view. Dressed in a loose black shirt and leather pants, he looked like a pirate cliché. He crossed his arms, his teeth bared in an insincere smile. “I’m surprised to find our malran passing the night in the arms of a human woman. She must be special for you to lose those ridiculous braids you normally wear. They’re for your people, right? A sign of your devotion?”
Maxis Steysis. Praise the Great One. His family’s nemesis looked a whole lot different now than he had seventy years ago. He’d been a lanky bookworm, but the years had hardened him, both in physique and expression. His pale green eyes were unmistakable.
Maxis leaned out, craning his neck to catch a better glimpse of Lexi. “I hear the ellan are concerned with your lack of attention to Myren proceedings. Perhaps this woman explains your distraction of late?”
A well-placed taunt considering any involvement with a human would send his council into all kinds panicked inquiries. Not that he was stupid enough to react.
Lexi shifted behind Eryx.
He reached back and gripped her waist. Not much in the way of warnings, but the best he could do without a link.
She murmured something, but stilled.
He’d have time to worry about whatever was rattling around in her head later. Right now, he needed to keep her safe. “Why are you here, Maxis?”
“Ah, so you do remember me?” Maxis grinned, a pompous lopsided affair. “Maybe it’s happy coincidence?”
“Coincidence has never factored between our families.” Eryx kept his fingers lax, though the urge to cast a fat stream of fire squarely into Maxis’ chest tickled his palms. “Going head to head with me doesn’t say much for your judgment.”
Maxis shrugged. “I’m not too worried. You wouldn’t reveal your nature to a human. That would break your precious laws.”
Lexi twitched and her hand fisted in his t-shirt at the small of his back.
Maxis straightened, shoulders back and arms down, but slightly away from his sides. “I, on the other hand, don’t give a shit what humans think.”
Eryx braced himself, weight on the balls of his feet and ready to move.
Maxis aimed his palm at Eryx and an angry arc of electricity shot out.
“Ludan, now!” Eryx swept Lexi into an airborne spin and the salvo pierced deep in his shoulder. He backhanded a fireball.
The volley grazed Maxis’ side.
Ludan crashed into Maxis’ other side, plowing him into a nearby retaining wall.
“Ludan, he’s got—”
Ludan’s arms convulsed with a layer of crackling blue and red electricity and he lost his grip on Maxis.
Maxis darted to the sky and his image shimmered into nothingness.
Ludan snarled and held his charred hands in front of him. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.” He crouched to give chase.
“Stand down.” Eryx checked the parking lot for witnesses and lowered his voice. “I need you here.”
Lexi tried to escape his arms, but Eryx held firm.
Ludan stalked closer. “Are we past hypotheticals now?” His voice shook with rage. “Maxis’ family line doesn’t carry offensive skills and he threw some nasty volts. I’d say that’s cause for concern.”
“Later, Ludan.” He jerked his head toward Lexi.
Lexi slammed both palms into Eryx’s shoulders and fired a cursing barrage to make even Ludan blush. “Let. Me. Go.”
Eryx winced and tugged her tighter, angling his shoulder to ease the pain.
Lexi hesitated and torque to see his shoulder. “You’re hurt.”
“I’m fine. My sister will fix it.”
“Is she a doctor? We need a doctor. My Jeep’s right there, we’ll just—”
“Lexi.”
She stilled, her breath fast and heavy.
He cupped her face and scrambled for something to say. Anything to reach through her panic and confusion. “I’m different, remember? I’ll be fine and I still plan to answer your questions, but I need to make you safe first. Let me take you home.”
Poised to run, she stared him down with wide eyes, her face flushed.
Eryx prayed, both to The Great One and The Fates who had led him to this moment. He’d do what he needed to keep her safe no matter how she answered, but he’d rather not do it with her kicking and screaming.
She nodded. Not much, but enough to let him suck in a decent breath.
“You sure about this, Eryx?” Ludan’s quiet question lumbered heavy between them. Considering the consequences Eryx would face if Lexi wasn’t Myren, the weight was appropriate.
“I’m damn sure not leaving her here.” Eryx spun her facing Ludan and locked his arms around her waist. “Call it, Ludan.”
Chapter 4
Lexi swayed and gripped Eryx’s forearm at her waist. The stuff she’d seen wasn’t possible. Was it? Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. Early morning Waffle House diners trickled into the restaurant, but not one looked toward her. “Why don’t they see us?”
“Because we’re shielded,” Eryx answered. “Ludan, call the damned portal. I’ll co
ver the mask.”
Mask? Portal? Not good. Or safe. Or sane. Spots crept at the edges of her vision and her throat tightened. She should pull her head out of her ass and run, but something kept her rooted in place. A whisper of change. The tipping point in her life she’d craved.
“She’s not ready for this.” Ludan raised his hand, fingers tilted upward, palm toward the darkest corner of the parking lot. Charred flesh covered his muscled arms, blending with the stark black of his T-shirt.
Lexi tried to take a step back, but barely budged with Eryx plastered behind her. “What’s going on?”
“Just watch. Ludan’s wrong. You’ll handle it fine.” His comforting words didn’t help much, not with the way he scanned the skies.
The space where Ludan aimed shifted and blurred. Shadow blossomed into a pale gray sphere. It swirled in the center and thickened until a cave-like entrance formed. Smoky wisps floated near the bottom and the edges sparkled.
Ludan lowered his hand and faced her. His blue eyes beamed brighter, the whites around the irises glowing. Creepy. Yet somehow expected?
“Time to go, Lexi.” Eryx said.
She craned to see his face. “What is that thing?”
“The gateway home. To Eden.”
Like that made a cave popping up out of nowhere a perfectly reasonable occurrence. Desperate for a full breath, and some distance, she pried his arm from her waist and twisted free.
Eryx winced.
Damn it. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. Maybe she should push the hospital idea again. “That man was after you, not me.”
His gaze swept the space behind her then lasered onto her. An honest-to-God cage couldn’t have held her more firmly. “The man you saw? His name is Maxis. About five minutes ago you jumped to the top of his most wanted list because you’re a means to get to me.”
“But—”
“You said you wanted answers. They’re right in front of you.” His tone hardened, lines deepening at the corners of his mouth. “Choose.”
A slow burn of defiance simmered in her gut. Ultimatums weren’t her strong suit. Never had been. “And if I don’t go?”
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