I stared back at him, piecing together what he was telling me. Guess I know Jocelyn’s cover story now. So what, they were going to just tell my parents she got a permanent job in LA and wouldn’t be moving back? They better plan on taking some actual pics of Jocelyn because Mom won’t be satisfied until she sees proof of this job. Like a freaking billboard of her daughter.
“I know, thank you for that,” I murmured back at him as his lips crept their way back to my mouth. “So,” I said between his kisses, “Are we going to sleep on the beach then?”
He rocked back a bit. “Why, want to?” he asked, his voice deep. “Could be magical out here.”
The sensation of ants crawling up my legs saved me from answering right away. Reaching down with my free hand, I scratched my skin, desperate to rid myself of whatever critter was there. “Would be great if I wasn’t so itchy,” I mumbled.
He glanced down at my calves. “Mm… sand fleas,” he said, standing up and reaching down to pull me up as well. “Luckily for us, I’ve made other sleeping arrangements.” He gestured to the house nestled in lush island flora above the beach we’d landed on. I wouldn’t have even been able to see it if it weren’t for the lights on in a few of the windows.
“Come on,” he said, walking up the sand, pulling me along with him. “You’re going to love Malekesi and Lamani.”
I glanced over at him. “Who are they?” “They own the home I always stay in when I go to and from my facility. Don’t worry, they know all about us. And,” he added, squeezing my shoulders as we walked, “Malekesi makes the best food. You’ll love it.”
Dread trickled through my entire body. Dumb me! Of course we’d have to spend the night somewhere. Can’t expect Kory to fly me fourteen straight hours.
“Great,” I lied. All I could focus on was the way Kory’s hand was massaging my shoulder as we moved closer to the house.
This is bad. Real bad. There’s no way I’m spending the night with Kory. Never mind the kisses, I’ll switch back to me for sure.
Chapter 29
I could have kissed Malekesi for not only stuffing me full of the most delicious food I’d ever tasted, but for insisting Kory and I have separate rooms to sleep in after our stomachs were ready to pop. Kory had rolled his eyes in amusement, but he didn’t argue with her. What Malekesi lacked in height, she made up in girth. Her commanding presence had more to do with her infectious smile than with the stern finger she wagged at Kory when he had tried to follow me into my room.
“No sir, not in my house,” she’d said, ushering him to the room next to mine. “I see no rings on your fingers. You treat her with respect.”
Kory had opened and shut his mouth several times, but in the end, he’d shrugged. I hurried into my room before he could come up with some excuse to follow me. Glad to have my sister’s suitcase, I flipped open the lid and rifled through her belonging. Seeing the amount of clothes she had packed, I had a hunch my sister hadn’t planned to return from this trip. A lot of opened-back shirts.
A small part of me felt bad. I took away what she’s been looking forward to for months. Feels like I crashed her wedding or something. I had no doubt now Kory cared for her on some level, but the jury was still out on whether he was using her.
Trying to find something decent to sleep in, I was horrified, but not surprised, by all the sheer and skimpy nighties I found. Sighing, I settled on an open-backed T-shirt. If I have to choose between my front or backside being covered, I’ll opt for my front. Relieved to find jogging shorts, I quickly changed, snapped the light off, and slipped into bed.
A few seconds later, someone slid into the bed next to me. Although not visible, the hint of mint and musky cologne was a dead giveaway. Hands wrapped around me from behind, pulling me toward him to spoon. I tried not to stiffen. Great, now what?
“Kory,” I whispered to the dark room, “Malekesi is going to kill you if she finds you in here.”
He snorted. “Since when do you worry about getting caught?”
Crap. My brain screamed to find a solution to this precarious situation. There was no way I was letting him do more than the kisses he’d already planted on me. Not to mention what might happen if I fell asleep…
“Since I met a Hawaiian woman,” I responded, half serious.
He chuckled. “Relax, no one’s going to know.”
“Uh, Kory… I…” I stammered as he begin planting kisses along the back of my neck. “Would you hate me horribly if we just slept tonight?”
His lips withdrew from my skin. With the sudden silence that followed, I was half tempted to turn around to see his expression.
“Not at all,” he said, his tone definitely strained. “Everything okay?”
I rotated to look him in the eyes; I couldn’t afford to blow my cover now. “Yes, I’m just really tired. I had no idea how wiped out flying would make me.”
His gaze softened a bit. “So,” he said, his voice almost hesitant, “it’s not because you’re having second thoughts about… us?”
“What? No. Why would you say that?”
“Well, you just haven’t seemed like yourself today,” he said, “I mean, you’ve usually already jumped my bones like three times.”
I couldn’t help my face flushing. This was getting to be too much for me. I shouldn’t be living my sister’s intimate moments!
“Kory, that’s not it, I swear. I’m just a pile of nerves. I think I’ll feel better once we get all settled in. Maybe after I’ve seen your Defenders and I see how you’re going to change me, I can relax more.”
He cocked his head to the side, his arm still draped around my body. “Sorry, I guess I didn’t realize how stressful this must be for you.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I promise you have nothing to be worried about. The transformation will be painless. I will be there for you every step of the way.”
“Thanks,” I said, praying he’d stop kissing my neck. To my relief, he did. To his credit, he settled down, still holding on to me, but not groping me.
“Goodnight, my love,” he whispered, nestling his lips against the back of my neck.
“Goodnight,” I said, hoping it didn’t sound too stiff. I waited in silence. I wasn’t sure if he was upset or falling asleep until his breathing slowed down and deepened. Only when his arm went slack around my middle did I dare scoot further away from him. Once there was some space between our bodies, I commanded myself not to fall asleep.
Shouldn’t be too hard right? Who needs sleep? Just think about tomorrow. We’ll finally know where the Defenders are. Then all I’ve got to do is slip away when Kory’s back is turned, fly as fast as I can home, and pray no one follows me. Like Kory… or all those Defenders…
I frowned. My escape plan was looking a bit bleak, if I was honest.
Chapter 30
“Never been so happy to get somewhere in my life,” I muttered in complete honesty. Traveling to Kory’s secret base had taken almost two full days of fast flying. Even with leaving Kauai early, the seven hours it took to arrive felt never ending. With my feet sinking into white sand, I glanced around, seeing nothing but tropical green trees hugging the beach.
“Where are we?” I asked, stretching my arms above my head, hearing my back pop in several places. Dying to be me again. I knew now that being in my sister’s form for this long straight was a huge risk. The night had proven to be a long one. Luckily, for me, the one time I did succumb to sleep and awoke to discover I’d morphed back into my own form, Kory had been sound asleep. What would I have done if he’d seen me? The adrenaline rush after that made it easy to stay wide awake, counting down the minutes until sunrise. I knew I was much of the reason we had such an early start. Kory’s grumblings had let me know he hadn’t been thrilled to ‘hit the road’ as the sun rose.
Now, walking on the beach, my feet sinking into the sand, I was grateful my own nervousness kept the adrenaline pumping. I needed it.
Kory grinned at me, all signs of grumpiness gone. “It’s
a small island in the Vava’u Islands.”
“The where?”
“Tonga,” he said.
“We’re in Tonga?” I repeated, wanting to make sure I knew exactly where we were. I had to find my way back here someday, hopefully with a small army.
“The Vava’u Islands are a group of islands in Tonga. I think there are like seventy small islands in it. This one,” his hand gestured to our surroundings, “is known as Ofu Island.” He glanced over at me. “To the rest of the world, anyway.” I lifted an eyebrow. “But not to the Dragon Fae world, I take it?”
“Nope,” he said, his grin spreading. “It won’t be long until Ofu becomes the new world capital.”
I could only stare at him, not sure if I should laugh or be horrified at the absurdity of his statement. “World capital? You think this small island will be the Dragon Fae’s headquarters?”
He nodded. “Not just this island, but all of Tonga. All of Polynesia, in fact. But Ofu will always be special because this is where the Defenders were born.”
Kory’s arm draped around my shoulders was the least of my worries. Kory’s a delusional maniac. Since we remained on foot, it allowed me to ask questions. When we were flying, it proved difficult. I wasn’t about to waste any time.
“So why here? Why Ofu?” I asked. “There doesn’t seem to be much around. I don’t see any buildings.”
He chuckled. “Yes, well, don’t expect a lot of air-conditioned rooms here either. I learned there was a parcel of this island for sale a while back. When I inquired further, it turned out a corporation in trouble owned not only the parcel, but also the entire island. They were in a tough spot financially, so I bought it.”
“The parcel?”
“No, the island. This is ours, Jocelyn.”
I swallowed. My sister would be knocking Kory down with kisses right now, that much I was sure. All I could manage was a smile in his direction. I saw the hurt flash through his eyes.
“That’s amazing,” I said. Not wanting to blow it all before I’d actually seen the Defenders, I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “You are incredible, Kory. I don’t deserve you,” I gestured to the island, “or any of this.”
My words must have appeased him because he pulled me closer and kissed the top of my forehead. “Of course you do. You aren’t just anyone to me, Jocelyn.”
Apparently not. I hated seeing this sincere side of Kory. It made everything I needed to do that much harder. My sister, through no real fault of her own, fell in love with a psychopath.
“What do the people on the other islands around here think? Do they know about the Defenders?”
“Oh, they know about them.”
I glanced over at him as we made our way further into the tropical juggle. So far, I’d seen nothing manmade. Every step felt like I was leaving civilization further behind. Reminded me a lot of some of the Outskirts we’d visited.
Kory met my gaze. “Who do you think made up the Defenders?”
I gasped, despite myself. “You changed Tongans to make them?”
“Yes, mostly Tongans, a few Samoans.”
“I… did they even want to be changed?”
Kory glanced over at me and laughed. “Of course they did. I didn’t force anyone. They simply saw the appeal like you did.”
“Yeah, but I just want to be a normal damsel. From what you told me, the Defenders are created to fight. There’s a big difference,” I said, glad my point was a valid one. I couldn’t imagine anyone in their right mind choosing to become what Jaxon was. No one would. Kory must’ve have lied to them…
He nodded along. “True, but that’s just it. Did you know the Pacific Islanders are over represented in the military, especially the Navy Seals? I heard somewhere that taking in their smaller population numbers, they are over two hundred percent over-represented in fact.”
I stared at him. “So because they like to sign up, that makes them…” I had to force myself not to say the word ‘killers’. Instead, I managed to ask, “Want to be made into super fighters?”
Kory shrugged. “I’m not sure if more islanders sign up for the military as a means to escape island life, or if they do feel an innate desire to defend and protect their family more than others. Who knows the reason? It’s just a fact. I saw an opportunity here, and I took it.” He grinned at me. “Their natural athletic build didn’t hurt either.”
So in other words, Kory made bugs even bigger than Jaxon. I couldn’t stop the shudder that rippled across my shoulders. Luckily for me, Kory didn’t seem to notice because he was gesturing to the small village now popping out from among the trees.
“Come on. I want you to meet a few of my Defenders.”
“Okay,” I said as my stomach knotted. What if these ‘Defenders’ craved me like Jaxon? What if they could see through my charade?
Within moments of Kory mentioning the Defenders, a large Tongan man approached us. Standing several inches above Kory, his shoulder width was probably double mine. I gaped up at him. Since Kory had told me on Kauai, I knew the wraparound, Hawaiian-looking skirt was a called a lavalava. Lamani had been wearing one too.
I saw no wings on his brown, bare back. The man smiled, dimpling his cheeks and revealing a row of white teeth. With curly, black hair and deep-set eyes, his features were more attractive than menacing. His barrel chest, massive biceps, and thigh muscles were another story. I didn’t even want to imagine his humungous body in bug form.
“Jocelyn, this here is my right-hand man, Kalepe.”
“Mālō e lelei,” Kalepe said, his voice as deep as the ocean itself.
“Ah. Hello,” I said, unsure what he’d said to me.
“Mālō e lelei means hello,” Kory explained as Kalepe reached out to shake my hand. I placed my hand in his, feeling it swallowed up in warm, calloused palms.
“Don’t worry, I speak English too,” Kalepe said, giving my hand a vigorous workout. When he released me from his iron grip, I could only stare back at him. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet Miss Kory.”
“I’ve been looking forward to finally meeting you, Kalepe, too,” I answered, slightly weirded out to be referred to as ‘Miss Kory’.
“Kalepe was one of the first ones to get Sammy’s DNA,” Kory stated in a matter-of-fact manner.
I swallowed hard, my face flushing.
Kalepe beamed back at me with pride in his eyes. “I’m honored. Thank you for making it possible.”
“Ah… you’re welcome,” I said as he pumped my hand with his again. There was no doubt that Kalepe seemed to be in control of his Defender side. Makes me wonder…
“So, you think having Sammy’s blood helped?” I asked Kory.
His eyes widened as he nodded. “Yes, most definitely.”
“How so?” I asked.
“Maybe it’d be easier if we show you. Everything ready for us, Kalepe?” Kory asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and steering me toward the village again. We commenced on foot, which made me wonder what would happen if Kalepe morphed. Would he be as ugly as Jaxon? Would his wings be thick and corded, his head bald, his eyes too wide and black?
“Yes, sir,” he said brightly, snapping me out of my dark imaginings. “Everything has been prepared, like you asked.” He pointed to the left where I saw a simple lean-to structure. Without walls, logs formed its shape. Vines and large leaves made up the thatched roof. Two men were covering a large stack of stones with broad-leaved branches. Smoke curled out from under gray stones. The aroma of cooked bacon filled the air.
Kalepe continued, “The umu is cooking pigs for tonight’s feast. The Defenders want to honor your return, Kory, and we have something special planned for your ceremony, Miss Jocelyn.”
Kory nodded along. To me, he explained. “See those rocks over there?”
I nodded quickly as dread trickled through me. What was the ceremony Kalepe referred to? Surely not changing Jocelyn into a damsel, right?
“That’s an underground oven,” Kory explained.
“It’s where they cook their food on special occasions, like today.”
Staring at Kory’s grin, I could only think one thing. I needed to get out of here and fast. I was in enemy territory.
Another Tongan bounded up to us, his grin from ear to ear. Seeing how tightly he embraced Kory and then turned his delighted eyes back to me, I sickened, realizing something else.
Swooping in and destroying the Defenders might not be as simple as we’d hoped. These Tongans aren’t the enemy—no more than Jaxon is. Kory’s using them. Brainwashing people to accommodate his hidden agenda.
Chapter 31
This was the moment I’d dreaded and longed for since I’d set out on this crazy ride with Kory. Finally, I get to see the Defenders’ headquarters.
After chatting with several more Tongans who were busy setting up the area for the night’s festivities, Kory had informed Kalepe that he wanted to show me the progress they’d made firsthand. Kalepe had told us he’d meet up with us in a minute; there were a few last things he needed to oversee.
It had only taken us a few minutes by flight, with Kory holding me, to stop in front of the only real building I’d seen on the island. Kory told me he needed a state-of-the-art facility. Walking through the front door of the squat, stucco building, I was surprised at how hot it was inside, though.
Kory glanced over at me as I lifted my hair up, tying it into a knot. “Sorry about no AC. Don’t worry; it’s something I’m working on for us.”
I shrugged. “I don’t mind. Besides,” I glanced up at the ceiling, “there are nice fans everywhere.”
Kory seemed pleased by my response, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze. I was glad he didn’t try to make a romantic moment out of it. Perhaps the island’s humidity and heat was enough of a deterrent. I didn’t want anyone to touch me. Being indoors, you lost the nice island breeze.
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