Jewel of Atlantis

'No,' she said, and it was the truth. No distortion. No dancing around the issue.

He nodded, deciding to trust her. 'I want Dunamis because it's dangerous. In the wrong hands, millions of people could be annihilated. I want Dunamis,' he added carefully, 'because it needs to be guarded by the right people or be destroyed.'

Her stomach knotted, sadness mixing with her dread. She'd had to hear that, hadn't she? What would he do or say if he knew that destroying the jewel would destroy her? Would he hesitate in his determination, perhaps change his mind? Or would he act without reservation?

'I will answer your question now,' she said, forcing the words out. 'The protector of Dunamis will let you destroy it. Just like that.' She snapped her fingers.

'Why?' Incredulity radiated from him.

'He believes as you do, that it needs to be destroyed.'

Gray's brow furrowed. 'Then why the hell does he protect it?' 'That is a question you will have to ask him yourself.'

He opened his mouth, his eyes thoughtful, then he closed his mouth with a snap. Opened, closed. Finally, he growled, 'What do you have on under that robe?'

Confused, she blinked over at him. What kind of question was that? He knew what she wore under her robe: a thin white chemise. He'd seen it. Had he planned to ask her something else, then changed his mind?

She sighed. She might have watched this man her entire life, but she doubted she'd ever understand him. Or maybe it was just men she didn't understand. All the other male minds she'd ever read had been focused only on their survival. Some hoping to block her out so that whoever owned her at the time wouldn't know of their crimes. Others had merely been nervous, wanting her to see the truth so she could send them on their way. But for all of that, she'd never taken time to truly explore the male thought process.

'You want to know what I'm wearing under my robe?'

'That's right.'

'But—why?' She wished to the gods she could read his mind right now.

'Instead of answering me, why don't you show me?' Gray let out a heavy breath. Damn it. For a moment, when they'd been discussing the destruction of Dunamis, Jewel had looked so lost, so sad, and he hadn't known what caused the transformation. He'd only known he had to fix it.

Thankfully, he had. Color bloomed bright in her cheeks, and her take-me-to-bed eyes sparkled. Desire flared to life, but it couldn't beat past the sudden sense of lethargy racing through him. He gently stretched his arms over his head, arching his back. His mouth widened in a yawn.

'You've already seen exactly what I'm wearing under the robe. Soaking wet, no less.' 'Maybe I've forgotten.' His eyelids were growing heavy. 'Maybe I need to see again.' 'No, you do not,' she said primly. 'What would Katie say about your behavior?'

Hearing her speak his sister's name so easily was disconcerting. Strange and surreal. 'How do you know Katie?' His question held curiosity and surprise as he fought to stay awake. 'I haven't thought about her since I met you.'

'I'm sorry.' Jewel nibbled on her bottom lip. 'I shouldn't have mentioned her.' 'It's okay.' He yawned again. 'Really. I'm just curious how you know about her.'

Agitated, Jewel eased to her feet, but he was unable to read her expression, unable to figure out what she was thinking. 'I don't want to talk about this,' she said quietly.

He wanted to push her for an answer, but didn't think that would be wise. She looked ready to bolt and never return. He didn't understand this... or what it meant. 'Jewel,' he said.

'Sleep,' she interjected, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say. He felt oddly compelled to do so. 'I'm going to the river to fish. If I never eat another energy bar, I will die complete.'

CHAPTER NINE

Jewel stood at the edge of the river, her robe tucked into her waist, liquid lapping at her ankles, her hands wrapped around a long, sharp stick. She'd removed her shoes, and moss-covered rocks supported her feet. The dome above stretched hot fingers over the land, making her sweat through the thin material of her clothing. She stared down at the clear, dappled water, watching, waiting for a plump fish to swim past She'd never done this, had never lived off the land before. She only prayed she was successful.

Soon a long, fat swirl of iridescent color darted between her ankles. Her heart skipped a beat. Finally! Her hand tightened around the stick as the fish continued to swim around her, nipping at her ankles. When it tired of playing with her nonresponsive legs, its rainbow fins spanned and flapped, ready to bolt.

She threw the spear.

And missed.

The succulent thing darted away to safety. 'Damn it,' she growled, sounding very much like Gray.

Over the next half hour, four more delicious-looking fish swam past her, and she missed each one of them, her spear falling uselessly into the water.

'I can do this. I can.'

Another fifteen minutes passed. Finally, a plump, incandescent beauty came within her sights. She stilled, even her breathing grinding to a halt. One, two, she mentally counted. He was about to swim... three! She tossed the spear.

Success! The tip of her spear cut into the target.

'I did it,' she said, jumping up and down, splashing water in every direction. 'I did it!' She grinned, holding the stick up for inspection, feeling proud and accomplished as she eyed the flopping treat. No more energy bars today, thank you very much.

She skipped back into camp and leaned her stick against a tree. Gray was still sleeping. His features were relaxed, giving him a boyish quality that warmed her. His pale hair fell over his forehead, and he had one arm over his head; the other rested over his bare chest.

Her hands itched to reach out and trace the hard planes of his abdomen, the ropes of muscles that led down, down—she gulped, forcing herself to gather twigs and grass. After building a sufficient mound, she used Gray's lighter to create a fire. Once the flames crackled with heat, she cleaned the fish as best she could and held out the stick, cooking the meat until it flaked into her hands. Unfortunately the outside charred.

A little while later, Gray yawned and stretched, grimacing as his wounds protested the sudden movement.

Then he stiffened, his eyes darting in every direction before settling on her. He pulled himself to a sitting position.

'I didn't mean to fall asleep. Sorry.'

'You needed the rest. You look better already.'

'I feel better. What's that?' he said with a chin tilt to the fish.

'I've never cooked before, but I have seen it done, so you'll have to tell me how I did.' Using a large, firm leaf as a plate, she scooped some of the fish on top, and handed it to Gray.

He accepted with a raised brow. 'What if I'm not hungry?'

'You'll eat it anyway, because you don't want to hurt my feelings after I went to the trouble of catching and cooking it.'

'Good answer.' He took a tentative bite, chewing slowly, his expression unreadable.

She was just about to ask him what he thought, when something in his backpack started speaking. A real, human voice. Jewel jumped, her gaze going impossibly wide.

Gray set his plate aside and dug inside the pack. 'Christ,' he muttered. He tangled his free hand through his hair. 'Check in time.'

'Ah, your communicator,' she said, when he withdrew a small black box. She'd seen him use the box on several of his missions. People from his work were able to speak with him, and he to them. Her apprehension faded.

'Mother, this is Santa.' He spoke directly into the box. 'Go ahead.'