by Zoe Forward
“Don’t try to see for a minute or so. It’ll pass. My head is killing me.”
“Well, Lordy be, you brought him with you?” a Southern-accented woman drawled.
Jen rolled off him, but kept her hand on his chest. “Give me a sec, Charlotte. Can’t see.”
Nikolai heard tapping and assumed it to be shoe-clad foot to wood.
Charlotte said, “Honey, you know it’s forbidden to jump another. Too dangerous.”
“I had no choice. We need food. Safe food. I can see again. How are you doing, Nikolai?”
He squinted into the brightly lit house. “Where are we?” Based on the full sun he guessed it was midday wherever the house was located. He made out a middle-aged blond he assumed to be Charlotte. Her hair was chaotically arranged into a bun on the top of her head. She wore a gauzy dress draped in crystals that tinkled when she moved. Beyond her odd hippie appearance, a fantastic smell distracted him.
Charlotte’s gaze narrowed on Jen. “You sure you’re feeling okay? No weakness? When you jump two, and the other isn’t your destined, it’s usually pretty hard on arrival.”
“I’m fine.” Jen struggled to a stand, staggered against the wall, and rested. “Nikolai, this is Charlotte. Charlotte…Nikolai. Thirsty?” After his nod she staggered into another room and returned with two bottles of water. She handed one to him.
He unscrewed the top and downed it in seconds. “Ahhh. Got more?”
She nodded and disappeared.
He asked, “Is that cinnamon buns I smell? Please tell me I’m not dreaming.”
Charlotte beamed. “I’d hoped at least Jen might make it for breakfast. The rolls are homemade, not the Pillsbury crap. Best to eat ’em while they’re fresh.”
He rose to a stand and kissed Charlotte’s hand. “I am officially in love.” He rotated Charlotte’s left hand. “Damn. You’re already taken.”
Charlotte blushed and fanned her face. “Oh my. Jen, you’ve got your hands full with this one. He’s nothing like his brother who is…broody and irritating.”
Jen shot him a playful smile. “Nikolai is right. It smells amazing.” She handed him two more waters. Then hugged Charlotte.
As she stepped away, Charlotte said, “You need a bath.”
“Sorry,” said Jen.
“You don’t have to go back, honey. But let me tell you, I feel like I’m in the room with superstars. I’m your biggest fan. I’d be heartbroken not to see how this ends on the show. The world will be on the hunt for you if you just disappear. You’d be bombarded for interviews nonstop until you disclosed why you quit and how you disappeared.”
Jen’s startled gaze met Nikolai’s. “You watched us on the show? I didn’t think it was really your thing. Have they made us seem nice so far?”
Charlotte waved for them to follow her into the kitchen and then held out a plate of cinnamon rolls.
They each grabbed one.
“This is…mmmm.” Jen snagged another one.
He chuckled and took another as well. “These are delicious.”
“Y’all are just hungry. At this point, flavored sand would probably taste good to you. But I know these are good.” Charlotte smiled. “America loves you. It’s bigger than that. The world loves you. There’s talk that this season of the show has hit ratings it’s never seen before because of you two. Your competitors are so serious and boring that it was almost a relief when two of the couples dropped out, even though…the poor souls. Getting bitten by a snake is terrible. But you two. I mean, whoa. You have pretty good chemistry, whether it’s real or not. And you’re funny. But those snakes…” She shuddered. “Then when you punched him in the, you know…holy crap, Jen. You are officially my hero. No offense, Nick…er, Nikolai.” She winked at him.
Great. “Now I’m immortalized as the schmuck whose girlfriend emasculated him on TV.”
Charlotte giggled but shook her head. “Don’t be thinking that. The camera loves you. When you saved Shannon from the snake you became an honest to God good-guy hero.” Charlotte jumped forward and hugged him briefly. “Thank the gods you saved Jen and my baby. I almost keeled over when I realized it was Shannon who almost… Thank you. It’s driving me nuts that my little girl lost her mind and is on that show with you. Nikolai, you’ve become an idol of sorts. Girls plan parties just to see you on TV. Men want to be you. There are millions of plots worldwide to steal you from her. And vice versa. There’s even talk about making a Jen Barbie doll.”
“Oh no,” Jen moaned and backed into a wall shaking her head.
He laughed. “Just so long as they make Barbie wear that ugly bathing suit.”
Jen pointed at him and glared the promise of retaliation. She said to Charlotte, “We’ve only been on TV for what, a day? How can we possibly be that famous?”
Charlotte shrugged. “Word spreads fast. They’ve already shown three episodes since they show three a day. Alexi said it’s been a bitch to keep Nikolai’s identity tight. By the way, I got word from Eli that whatever drug they used to dart you was designed to kill you both, which I don’t think was the show’s intention. Someone must’ve switched the tranquilizers. Thank goodness we got Eli there. He pulled out his coercive talents and got himself a spot on the medical team, not that he’s got any sort of medical background. Ex-spies do make the best actors.” She shot Nikolai a meaningful eyebrow raise. “He fixed you guys as much as he could without being obvious he was using his magical ability before they dumped you back into the game. The other couples shook off the sedation within minutes, whereas you two…even though they haven’t aired on TV what happened today, Eli texted to say you two fared poorly. Sounded like even with Eli’s help it was a rough ride. You’ve got a lot of catching up to the other contestants.”
His eyebrows shot upward as he met Jen’s gaze. They’d been lucky to have the healer on their side. “We haven’t got much time here. The show violated our contract. We outsmarted them by not eating or drinking at the meeting, but apparently they needed us drugged to move locations. So they darted us.”
“They showed some of it on TV, but I could tell they cut something,” said Charlotte. “What happened?”
He folded his arm across his chest. “They chased us through the woods. I messed up the shooter pretty good, but he still got us. We stipulated specifically no shooting at us with anything during the taping of the show. No bullets, darts, arrows…anything. If they did, then we are immediately off the show and they pay each of us a large sum.”
“Oh, that’s brilliant.” Charlotte clapped her hands together.
“We need a good lawyer on this,” said Jen. “Especially if we go back.”
“My brother-in-law can be a pit bull. I’ll get him on it.” Charlotte smiled broadly. “Anything to screw these bastards.”
“We should’ve been pulled from the show for that shit alone. If we stay in, can you arrange to have that lawyer speak with us off-camera before the next big meeting? Just for reassurance and prove that the show doesn’t pull all the strings?” He crossed his arms.
Charlotte nodded. “I’ll see what he can do.”
He said, “We must be quite an asset for them to keep us in the game.”
Charlotte chuckled. “I’d say so. They probably had no idea the sensation you two would cause by even making it to the first meeting. Everyone’s rooting for you to make it to the second meeting. Unless one of the other couples starts acting a little more interesting, you two are a shoo-in to win fan favorite and receive whatever help comes with that.”
Jen said, “Please let them give us decent shoes.” To Nikolai she said, “Let’s shower. Then go from there.”
Hell, yeah. He immediately imagined her naked and how deep he’d be inside her.
Charlotte said, “I’ve got to go. There’s plenty for you to eat. The only thing to do here is cook. Do you two need anything other than the lawyer?”
His brain snapped out of his shower fantasy. “Where did they move us? We need a map of it to figure out
a better way to where we’re supposed to go. If we plan to continue.”
“They moved you to Guyana. Remote and difficult terrain. I left a map on the table and highlighted where y’all were dumped.” She turned to go and then paused. “One hint. Don’t wash your hair. That might be a giveaway you cheated. You also need to continue to make yourselves fan favorites. Keep doing your infighting and making up with…just keep it spicy. Nick, you might want to consider taking your shirt off at least once or twice. Remember, this is television.”
He grinned. “The ladies want to see me naked.”
Jen harrumphed. “My God, I’ll never survive your ego.”
Nikolai snagged her close to him. “Join me for the shower?”
She blushed, and her gaze darted to Charlotte.
“You two aren’t pretending, are you?” Charlotte asked. “Good. Then you better figure out who hexed you to get onto that show to begin with.” She shared a look with Jen that Nikolai couldn’t interpret.
Jen shook her head emphatically. “He’s not. I’m still not sure about Owen. Owen helped us at the meeting as best he could. I don’t know if he was behind the hex or caught up in it like me.”
She still defended the bastard? “We’re going back. To find out who hexed you. Besides, the world needs to see my naked chest at least once.”
She punched his shoulder.
“Ow.” He turned serious. “Thank you, Charlotte, for the food and for helping us. We will leave a note, should we need anything further. If you could, please get a lawyer working on our contracts today.”
Charlotte nodded. “Be careful. Oh, and Nikolai, your brother had me bring you something. He gave it to me before he went to follow you to South America. I can’t figure out how it works. It’s on the table, too.” She glanced between the two of them, smiled, and disappeared.
He gazed at Jen. “Going back to the rain forest is dangerous. I think we should stay here where it’s safe.”
“We can’t.”
“Why not? We could stay for a few days, a week…at least until the show is over and then you pop us back somewhere not in the jungle.” Somewhere well out of reach of danger.
“We might have no option but to return, if Charlotte is right.”
“It’s more dangerous back there than just the stupidity of a TV show.”
Jen bit her lip in what he now recognized as her determined glare. “What’s really going on? Who’s trying to capture us?”
His brain narrowed with focus on evasion, a finely honed skill after years of dodging truth in the covert world. Memory flashed through his brain: Anaïs in an unfamiliar bedroom in Paris. Him awaking to midday sun, disoriented and naked. The need to kill mingled with shame in his mind. He quickly shoved the emotions into the off-limits vault. He would never be free until he killed the bitch. As he stared at the beautiful angles of Jen’s face he forced himself to rein in his drive for revenge. He didn’t want to articulate the foul business to Jen.
Her brow furrowed with concern. He wondered if he hadn’t hidden his emotions well enough. Damn it.
She released a frustrated sigh and scowled. “Fine. Keep me in the dark. My father kept me in the dark. He didn’t tell my mother or me about the witch hunters threatening him for over a year. He kept us ignorant right up until the moment they killed my parents and Shannon’s oldest brother.”
“You will live through this.”
“Are you sure? If you were, I doubt you’d be here with me. You probably wouldn’t have Alexi and Serenity tailing us through the jungle. You probably wouldn’t suddenly be interested in hiding here.”
Shit, he’d forgotten about Alexi and Serenity. If they didn’t go back, there was a chance Anaïs would kill them. He didn’t want to lose the brother he’d only recently gotten to know better. And there was no way in hell he wanted a promotion to family death reaper. “Maybe we should go back. But I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
Jen’s face splotched with red. “Why do you care if I’m kept safe?”
“You’re important. You’re the lead witch in your line.”
She threw up her arms. “That’s not an answer. You’re not druid. So whether or not another Pleiades witch is killed shouldn’t matter to you.”
“I’m a part of a Greek-descended family. I get it.”
“You are so frigging annoying. I want one real answer. Just one.”
His lips twitched with a smile at her frustration.
“I don’t like you very much right now,” she said.
“I never asked you to like me. I asked you to let me protect you. If we go back, then until this is over you will do this my way.”
“I thought we’d already been doing everything your way.”
His gaze slid down her body. She sucked in a breath. Her dilated eyes met his. He demanded, “You will let me protect you. No matter what.”
“You aren’t allowed to step in front of a bullet for me because of a silly TV show.”
“You and I both know whatever is going on has nothing to do with the show. I do think the magic of the necklace has everything to do with the threat to you. It put you in a vulnerable position. Both of us.”
“Finally. A pseudo answer. If it doesn’t have to do with the show, then what is this threat?”
“I will do what I must to protect you. If you were seriously hurt…” He swallowed. “Don’t make me live with that. Don’t make me have to survive your death.”
She touched his cheek. “Promise me the same thing. Promise you’ll stay alive.”
I can’t. Her touch tempted him. It taunted him. Damn it. His control hadn’t been tested until he met this woman. By God, he’d prove to her she belonged to him and not some Hollywood jackass. He should resist her. That might be the only way to convince that she-bitch necromancer they weren’t matched by the gods. But as Alexi pointed out, Anaïs already knew. Why deny what simmered between them any longer?
No. He needed to protect her heart. He was slated for death. Hoarsely he said, “Let’s wash.”
“You can use the guest room shower. End of the hall on the left.” She pointed. “I’ll use the main bath.”
“Where are we? What part of the world?”
“Sanxenxo. Spanish coast. But in an alternate dimension. You’ll find nothing about the show here.” She turned down the hall and pointed out the window. “We’ve got more property than most of my neighbors. The house is just a little beach cottage. It’s a bit more rustic than the super resorts you’ll find a few miles up the road.”
“Do you speak Spanish?” He viewed the clear blue water of the Mediterranean through the window.
“Not very well. I can get by, but I’m an obvious foreigner here. The house belonged to my mom and her mom before her. It’s been in the family for a long time.”
He watched her disappear down the hall. Without thinking it through too far, he pushed into the bathroom behind her, taking in the generous sunken tub and walk-in glass shower.
When she turned to meet his gaze, her cheeks flushed, but she wasn’t surprised. Her eyelids drooped to half mast and her lips slightly parted. She stared a mixture of the same want and need he’d been fighting since the moment he’d walked back into her life.
Her gaze fell to his torso. He unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off. She licked her lips. The small movement amped up his desire for full nakedness. One step forward and she touched his chest. Her uncertain gaze darted up to his.
“Don’t overanalyze, Angel. I’m right here. We’re both here. I want you. This has nothing to do with the show. This is about now.”
“No strings attached. It’s just in the moment. I get it.”
This wasn’t short-term for him. This might be the only time he experienced what the gods intended for them. Just this once, he wanted everything…before he died. “This doesn’t count as one of my three days. We will still have those when this is done.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his mouth onto hers. She groaned, opening her lips at h
is first touch and drawing his tongue deep into her mouth. Everything else faded. All that mattered was this. All he needed was her.
“Mmmm. Cinnamon.” He changed the angle of his kiss and gripped her ass in both hands. She moaned and unbuttoned her shirt. He flicked open her pants and groaned frustration at the hideous bathing suit beneath. He’d ditched his to go commando. But this level of modesty exemplified her. Besides, he wasn’t thrilled at the idea of the world staring at her breasts through that virtually transparent shirt.
Together they peeled her out of the wet suit. She rotated to adjust the shower jet while he stepped out of his pants. When she turned back to him he looked down. Then rubbed his thumbs over the pointed tips of her nipples, eliciting tiny tremors from her. He backed her into the shower and reached for the soap. After he gently washed her, she returned the favor.
“So beautiful.” He took her left nipple into his mouth. She arched to meet him and sifted her fingers through his hair. He picked her up to have easier access to her breasts and balanced her against the inside wall of the shower. His thighs slid between hers. The warm water cascaded over both of them. Refreshing and stimulating. Her head dropped back. She rolled her sex over the length of his erection. Her fingers tightened in his hair as she moaned. He moved toward her other nipple and repeated the process. Her groan resonated through his entire body.
Hoarsely he said, “I want you to feel me deep inside you.”
“Nik—” She tugged him away from her breast. She rolled her head away from him and slammed her palm against the side of the shower.
“You want to stop?” Every neuron in his brain screamed a loud no. He wanted inside her. To be sheathed so tight he’d feel her contract around him with each stroke. His entire body trembled from a need he’d never before felt so sharply.
“I want you,” she whispered. “I just…I don’t have a condom.”
“I never go without. I’m clean, but…” The fear that skittered through her eyes stopped him from pushing her.
“It’s not about disease. I’m not on anything. I haven’t needed to be on anything.” She turned scarlet. “I’m not ready for a baby right now. Even if the timing is wrong, the gods like to mess with us Pleiades. This might be tempting them a bit too much.”