Jack eyed both of the women, not fully sure of what was going on but ready to grab Kalama and pull her to safety if needed. His protective streak had kicked in as soon as Nani had shown up. A multitude of questions jumped to mind about Nani but he kept quiet for the time being.
Everything seemed to click into focus and Jack finally understood what was going on. The disturbances had started around the time Nani came to work for HVO. She’d never seemed to express any concern about the vandalism that happened on the rim. In fact, now that he thought about it, Jack realized she even appeared to enjoy the disruptions. It had never occurred to him that she was the cause of the trouble.
“I know what you did all those years ago. My mother finally told me what really happened to my father. You killed him,” Kalama said.
A small rumbling began to shift the ground beneath Jack’s feet. That meant only one thing, Kalama was pissed. He looked at her and noticed that her eyes, usually inky obsidian, were ringed with red. They glowed deep in her face.
He reached out and placed a hand over hers, lightly caressing his fingers along her knuckles. The gesture was not overt, but Nani caught it with those sharp eyes of hers.
“You should have been mine. But as soon as she arrived you wanted her. A whore like her mother.”
“Don’t ever speak to her like that again,” Jack rose to his feet, sidestepping just enough to put Kalama behind him. He stood almost eye to eye with the woman. “If I hear you call her a name like that every again, goddess or not, I will make you sorry.”
Nani raised a hand and set a single fingertip on his chest. She snarled at him and her eyes snapped with anger.
“Watch yourself, Doctor. There is no way you can hurt me.”
Jack’s chest began to tighten and he was having trouble pulling in air. His arms felt thick and heavy. Water was filling his mouth and pouring down his throat and he was unable to stop it. He tried coughing but nothing seemed to help. Air was in short supply. He was drowning where he stood.
“Stop it, you’re killing him.” Kalama clutched his hand tight and jumped to her feet, glaring at her aunt.
“You’d be wise to watch your tongue around me, manini. I may be in human form but I can still cause you and your little pet harm.”
“Stop please, don’t hurt him anymore.”
Nani pulled her hand back, a look of disgust on her face.
Jack felt the air rush into his lungs and it almost knocked him to his knees. He gripped the edge of the table with his hands to steady himself, unable to let go of Kalama with the other. “You don’t scare me. Kalama gripped his hand tighter, as if drawing strength from him. Jack felt the heat from her palm surge through and pass to him. It was one of the oddest sensations he’d ever experienced. Of course, he’d never gotten romantically involved with demi-goddess before, so he was pretty much treading on virgin territory in every aspect.
“Mark my words. I will destroy your mother once and for all. Get off the island while you can. Take him with you. This is not your fight.” The look on Nani’s face softened. For the briefest moment the hard veneer around her cracked and Jack saw the goodness deep inside. She did love her niece.
The glowing in Kalama’s eyes faded to a slow burn, the red that had ringed the irises melting away. “Auntie, I have to stay. She’s my mother. Hawaii is my home. I can’t let you destroy it.”
Nani seemed to contemplate this for a moment. “Give me the piece and run away. Be warned. Any aloha I might have felt for you died when you took him from me. You’re just like your mother. I’m going to tear you apart and then I’m going to rip a hole in the sea and swallow these islands.”
Kalama’s grip tightened even more as she and Nani stared at each other as the minutes ticked by, neither woman backing down.
“I warned you,” Nani said with finality and strode away from the table.
Silence wrapped itself around the table as she helped him slip back into his chair. His legs and arms still felt heavy and unwieldy but at least now he could breathe. Kalama seemed lost in her own thoughts leaving Jack to simply wait.
“I’m sorry I can’t help you more,” Jack said, embarrassed at his weakness but all his training was nothing against a pissed-off goddess with a grudge.
Kalama looked over the table at him, her eyes glowing with something other than anger this time. She reached a hand across the space and caressed her knuckles down his cheek in a tender gesture.
“You helped me more than you know. I was afraid she was going to kill you. I was scared she would take you from me.”
The silence stretched between them once more.
“Let’s pay and get out of here. I won’t be comfortable until that tiki piece is in my hands and we’re safe at home on the Hilo side,” Jack said, digging for his wallet. The sooner they found the piece, the sooner this madness would end.
Kalama visibly shook and the only way to keep the fear from her eyes was to beat her aunt to Hilo.
“Come on. It should be dark enough for your cloak and dagger act now. Let’s roll,” he said, tossing more than enough money on the table and grabbing her hand. “We’ll stop her. I promise.”
Chapter Eleven
The moon shone like a big silver ball in the sky by the time they arrived at Hulihe’e Palace. Situated as it was on the seawall overlooking Kailua Bay, Kalama could remember a time when the Ali’i ruled the grounds. Kalama would have liked a blanket of darkness but she had plans for that pesky orb.
The brightness of the moon off the water was paramount on Jack’s mind. In fact it was all he’d talked about for the first ten minutes they’d been on the property. She’d done her best to reassure him, even telling him to wait in the car, but to no avail. He wouldn’t leave her side. The protective vibe he was throwing off was pretty sexy. The way the moonlight skated across the defined muscles of his body, emphasized by the soft, blue button-down shirt he’d worn was pretty sexy too.
Giving herself a mental slap, she pulled her focus off of Jack’s amazing frame and turned to the chore at hand. Looking around, she made sure no one was in the immediate vicinity before climbing over the lava rock wall that ringed the property. A small house sat to one side of the palace and served as quarters for the groundskeeper.
“I can’t believe this is a palace. It’s like a really nice beach house,” Jack whispered as he followed close behind her as she made her way toward the back door of the structure.
Kalama shook her head and stifled a giggle. It was a common misconception. When mainlanders heard the word palace their brains immediately headed toward Buckingham.
“This was a popular summer home for the Ali’i. The piece we’re looking for is inside among the other artifact from Kalakaua and Liliuokalani’s reigns.”
“How are we going to find it?” Jack asked
“We’re not. It’s going to find us.” She tossed him a smile and headed up the back stairs of the palace.
The sound of crunching grass came from the left.
Kalama wrapped her arms around Jack’s neck and pulled his head down until his lips met hers. The kiss was gentle at first—a tool to cover up their covert operation— then became a slight pressure that fueled the already raging fires inside her. Kalama groaned low in her throat as Jack took charge and deepened the kiss, his tongue wetting the seam of her mouth, begging entry. She gladly gave it to him. He rocked his hips forward, his erection straining at the front of his cargo pants. The first brush of his hardness against her stomach sent a shock through her very core. All thoughts of the tiki pieces, breaking and entering and everything else slipped from her mind as she continued to allow Jack to consume her.
She ran her fingers through his thick hair, savoring the feel of the locks.
“What are you two up to? You shouldn’t be here,” the gruff voice cut through the sexual haze Jack was creating with his magic lips and talented hands.
She pulled back and glanced over Jack’s shoulder to meet the annoyed stare of the groundskeepe
r. He was an older man with a wizened face and a knowledgeable stare.
“Sorry, uncle.” Kalama slid her hands down from Jack’s neck but let them rest on the strong muscles of his pecs, unwilling to break the contact. It had been hours since he’d last been inside her and Kalama found herself bereft at the thought.
“You take that stuff on home, sistah,” the old man said as he seemed to fight the smile simmering just below the surface of the annoyed expression he wore.
Kalama flashed him a grin and a wink. “We will, uncle. Mahalo.” She stepped away from Jack, letting her hand slide down the buttons of his shirt.
“Hurry on, now,” he said with a smile and continued on his way around the grounds. Apparently he’d spied them on his evening stroll.
Kalama waited until the caretaker had rounded the corner of the house before turning back to Jack.
“We need to hurry. He’ll most likely be back around in no time. I’m calling for help,” Kalama said. She headed toward the seawall and looked up at the moon.
“Who are you calling?”
Kalama pointed toward the moon hanging over their head. “Her. She sees everything. If anyone knows where that piece is, Hina will.”
“Let me guess, another relative?” Jack asked.
“Yes, another aunt. But a good one who loves me and will help us.” Looking around to make sure they were well and truly alone this time, she headed down the steps in the grassy area.
Turning her face to the sky, she smiled and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the moon, her aunt Hina, and whispered her plea into the still night. The sound of Jack’s breathing and hers mingled with the ocean lapping against the rocks just beyond the seawall in front of her.
“Making trouble again, little one?”
Kalama’s smile widened as she opened her eyes. A petite woman with silvery streaks in her pitch-black hair sat on the rock wall. A white muumuu that almost glittered in the moonlight hugged her slight frame.
“Auntie.” Kalama crossed the remaining distance and hugged the woman fiercely. “Jack, this is Hina.” Catching Jack’s eye over her shoulder, she gestured him down from the porch. “The goddess of the Moon.”
Jack made his way across the grass until he stood in front of her, towering over her like some Nordic god. Kalama smiled at the picture it made.
“How do you do?” He gave her a small smile, clearly still not use to people simply popping in and out of thin air around him.
“I’ve been watching you, Dr. O’Connor. I think you care more about Hawaii, and my niece, than you admit to yourself,” Hina said, a laugh in her voice.
Kalama flushed under her Aunt’s knowing gaze. As the Moon goddess, Hina saw everything that happened under the light of her home. Kalama knew exactly what her Aunt had seen in Jack.
“Auntie, we need to know where the tiki piece is. Can you help us? My mother and Hawaii need my help.”
“I see what’s in your heart, my girl. Kane will help you when the time comes. Be brave enough to ask for his help.”
“The piece, please,” Kalama said, knowing full well that Hina was talking about Jack.
Hina nodded with a smile and pointed toward a large lava boulder that was partially buried in the grass.
“There. Dig there but make sure to put it all back before you leave.”
Kalama walked to the spot and examined it. She looked up to Jack and gestured for him to join her.
“Thank you. We appreciate your help.” But Hina was gone. Vanished as quickly as she came. Kalama knelt down and began to dig in the spot the Moon Goddess had shown them. Jack knelt beside her, the heat and strength of him radiating around them.
“I’m not sure I could get used to your relatives coming and going the way they do. The whole vanishing into thin air thing is a bit disconcerting.”
His fingers brushed hers as he helped her dig. She stopped a moment, thinking of how to phrase the question that burned on her mind. Licking her lips, she looked up at him, his handsome features outlined in the glow of the moon.
“Would you want to? Get used to my family?” The question was soft, almost not making it over the sound of the waves just below.
“Yeah, I think I would…but how?” he asked, taking one of her hands in his.
“I don’t know. But we figured out this tiki puzzle, we can figure out my little immortality issue if we put our heads together. We make a good team.”
Jack laughed and returned to digging. “This would go a lot faster if we’d thought to bring tools. Maybe there is one over by the caretaker’s house. I’ll do my best ninja impersonation and see what I can find.” Jack stood and took off over the grass. Kalama laughed softly, almost certain from his movements that he had some sort of theme song going on in his head. If the situation weren’t so dire this little jaunt would have been a fun adventure.
She continued using her hands to dig the hole deeper, searching for the tiki piece. Her hands were a wreck by the time Jack returned, a spade in hand. He wore a pleased expression on his face.
With the newly stolen spare the pair made short work of finding the tiki piece. Kalama let out a little cry of happiness when they struck pay dirt. Wrapped in a plastic tarp, the wooden section lifted out of the ground easily. Kalama peeled back the covering and looked up at Jack.
“We did it.”
“Come on, baby. Let’s get this thing home. Go back to the car and wait for me. I’ll fill in the hole and return the spade, and then we can get out of here.”
Kalama nodded, brushing her hands on her shorts as she rose to her feet. Holding out her hands for the tiki piece, she smiled down at Jack. The look in his eyes spoke volumes. Kalama knew she needed to find a way to stay with Jack in Hawaii. Clutching the piece tight, she walked to the rental car across the street, glancing over her shoulder to watch Jack in the moonlight once more. She’d come home. Now all she had left to do was figure out how to keep it.
* * * * *
The tiki rested between them as they drove the Saddle Road toward Hilo. It would take two more hours to get home, but Kalama had insisted that they drive back now. She was desperate to get back and give the piece to Pele.
“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Jack asked.
“I’m good,” she said, leaning her head back against the cushioned headrest and staring at the stars.
“How about some air?”
Kalama watched as her window slid down, filling the interior of the car with fresh island air. The nearness of Jack and their brief but scorching encounter at the palace left her panties wet and her body aching.
“When we get back to Hilo we can take…”
Her words stalled in her throat and her head snapped back in his direction as Jack’s fingers slid over the top of her tank top, dipped into the neckline and captured a nipple. “Jack.”
He was focused on the highway but his fingers worked magic on her hardening peak.
“Um, Jack,” she said slowly, the words slipping past her lips in a soft sigh.
“Want me to stop?” Still staring straight ahead on the lonely road cutting through the black lava fields, he continued to concentrate on his driving, as cool as the ice that formed on Mauna Kea in the winter.
“No.” She’d rather cease converting oxygen into carbon monoxide. He rolled her nipple between his fingers, the bud hardening. Pleasure shot down her body and pooled in the juncture between her thighs.
A naughty thought filled her head. If Jack wanted to play on the solemn drive up Saddle Road, she give him back as good as he gave.
Feeling playful, Kalama twisted in her seat. She shifted closer to him and leaned in to nuzzle his neck. “I loved having you inside me.” She ran her tongue over the curves of his ear and bit the tender flesh of his lobe gently. He shuddered under her touch.
“I loved being there and can’t wait to be there again. Maybe we should settle down so I don’t crash the car.” His voice was husky and thick.
“Just because y
ou’re driving doesn’t mean I don’t want one or more of your fingers in my pussy.”
Jack groaned, the sound rumbling low in his body and teased at her senses.
“Tease,” he whispered, before playfully pushing her back into her own seat. “Take off your shorts and panties.”
She smiled at him and made short work of the pieces of clothing standing between her and paradise.
“Spread your legs, baby.”
She did as he asked, feeling wicked at riding bare-assed across the island in the middle of the night. This was the craziest thing she had ever done, which said a lot for someone two hundred and seventy years old.
His hand slid between her legs and found the slick source of her desire. Knuckles brushed her folds and sent a jolt of moisture to her core. Gently he glided a finger into her slippery, hot pussy. The rough texture of his skin scraped along her flesh, making her moan.
She arched her back off the seat and spread her legs even wider as she pushed herself toward his sweet invasion of her body. She clenched around him, savoring the feel of his thick finger buried in her body, wishing it was his cock instead.
“Jack, please,” she urged.
He withdrew his single digit, and added a second, then inserted them both into her dripping pussy. Kalama felt as if she would shatter into a million pieces as he steadily thrust his fingers in and out of her pussy.
His thumb moved up her tender folds to her clit.
Kalama groaned when he made contact with her trigger point.
“Is this what you want, Kalama?” He pushed his fingers deeper while his thumb held steady against her throbbing clit.
“Make me come, please.” Her voice trailed off as his fingers began pumping with more urgency into her pussy. Faster and harder, he pumped into her as the pressure gradually increased. She got ever closer to the edge. He pushed his thumb against her clit and she flew apart.
Her hips jerked off the seat and she screamed, filling the cool night air streaming through the open window with his name.
With one final shudder she succumbed to the aftershocks of the climax. Jack eased his hand away and brought his fingers to his lips. Kalama watched as he licked his fingers clean of the taste of her.
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