Jewel of Atlantis

'I'll be fine.' He closed the rest of the distance between them and grabbed her hand. 'We've got to head back to the other side of the forest.'

She nodded.

They raced out of the room and into the hallway, pushing past centaurs. Gray followed the escape route he'd mapped earlier, before his bath. He hadn't known at the time that he'd need it, but lived by the 'better to be safe than sorry' code, and now he was grateful he did.

The route twisted and wound in every direction, the wall torches becoming fewer in number. He took the narrowest path, the one that led to a staircase. He and Jewel pounded down those steps, and he kicked the door the moment it was within reach. Hinges splintered as the door burst wide open. Cool night air wafted around him.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, faster than usual. As he raced through the abandoned alleyway, a wave of dizziness struck him. He was losing blood. He'd managed to forget his wounds for a while, but now they throbbed, demanding attention.

'Keep an eye behind us, okay? Tell me if you think we're being followed.' 'Formorians work best in the air, but the skyline is clear. They haven't spotted us.'

'Good. That's good.' The streets were quiet, and he kept to the shadows, moving behind buildings and carts.

What seemed an eternity later, Jewel said, 'We're almost there, I can feel it.'

Finally tall oaks filled his vision and he raced toward them. Insects buzzed and swarmed him. Dewy green leaves and branches swatted at him. 'Cover your face,' he said.

'Ow,' she cried, reaching up to cover her cheek from the stinging vines.

'Let's find a spot to rest.' His breath was burning inside his lungs. His limbs were growing shaky, and a web of lethargy was weaving through him. He'd taken a lot of abuse lately, more than he ever had before, and he was feeling the effects. He refused to pass out in front of Jewel again. 'Tell me when you feel like it's safe.'

Once he spoke the words, he realized how much he'd come to depend on her for their safety. He trusted her judgement, her senses. He needed her.

'Head toward the river,' she panted.

He listened for the rustle of water and veered right. When they reached the water's edge, he saw a wide, rocky path.

'Formorians hate water.'

'Then we're crossing.' Not waiting for her reply, he tugged her into the water. At first the icy liquid only reached his ankles, but as he ran through it, splashing it in every direction, it became deeper. Finally he was swimming, unable to touch bottom.

Jewel swam beside him. It took them about ten minutes to swim to the other side, and once they did, they pulled their soaking bodies onto the edge. 'We've done this before,' he said between shallow breaths.

'Let's hope this is our last time.'

'I want to move a little farther away.'

She nodded, stumbling forward. He stayed right beside her, crawling through vegetation and sand. How much time passed, how far they actually got, he didn't know. He dropped his backpack, knowing he couldn't go another step. 'Here's good.'

'Here, yes.'

'Take off your wet clothes.' As he spoke, he stripped. Naked, he dug inside his backpack, withdrawing his dry fatigues. He spread them on the ground.

Jewel didn't protest. She shed the velvet sheet and it pooled at her feet. Her arms wrapped around her waist in a vain effort to guard against the cold.

Gray lay down on top his clothing, saying, 'Com'ere.' He shouldn't allow himself to sleep; he should erect some sort of shelter. But he closed his eyes, feeling Jewel lie down beside him, her body contouring to his. She placed her head on his good arm. He could feel her erratic heartbeat drumming against his chest, beating in sync with his. A sense of contentment settled over him.

He fell asleep like that.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Light pierced Gray's consciousness.

He slowly cracked open his eyes and winced. His body throbbed like he'd been thrown into a ring and gone fifty rounds with a heavyweight Jewel was curled into his side, still asleep. Her features were soft and relaxed and contentment lifted the corners of her lips.

She was naked. He was naked. And his body liked the contact.

God, she was lovely. Her skin was as dewy as a morning peach, her legs long and tapered perfectly. Her waist dipped and her hips flared deliciously. The hair at the apex of her thighs was soft and black and begging for his touch.

Fighting the sudden fire in his blood, he brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. Last night's events sped through his mind. He'd almost lost her. This innocent little peach had almost died. Just the reminder made his palms sweat. In their short time together, she'd come to mean a lot to him. More than any woman ever had.

She's safe now, he reminded himself, relaxing. That was all that mattered.

From this point on, he was damn well going to do a better job of looking out for her. Gambling with the Formorians had been risky, and he'd known better. He'd just wanted to give her an honestly purchased present and the desire had clouded his common sense. Which proved his reasons for not getting involved were well founded.

The armband rested at the bottom of his bag; he knew it was there. He just didn't know when—or if— he was going to give it to her. He had to get focused on his job, and if he gave her the gift now, she might think it meant more than it did. Like he'd stay with her or something.

'Wake up, sleeping beauty.' He wanted to wake her with a kiss, but didn't dare. If he kissed her, he wouldn't stop kissing her until he had her under him, his cock sliding inside her. They had stuff to talk about, and he had stuff to do. It was time he remembered that and put things in perspective.

Jewel stirred and stretched like a newborn babe, purring low in her throat. The sounds drifted over his nerve endings like an erotic caress. She blinked open her eyes, her long lashes fluttering up and down. He was suddenly thirsty for her.

'Gray,' she said, gingerly sitting up. 'Is everything all right?'

'Everything's fine.' He forced his mind to remain on business. 'Did last night's adventure throw us off the path to Dunamis?'

She pushed her hair from her face, realized she was naked, and grabbed her now dry sheet, tugging it around her. 'Not at all. The temple is only a day and a half walk from here.'

Walking that long sounded about as fun as a full body waxing. He grimaced and worried a hand on his jaw stubble. 'I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to answer honestly. Don't answer me with a question. Just tell me the truth, okay.'

Her eyes met his, thoughts spinning in her head. Reluctantly she nodded. 'Why am I craving blood?'

A soft sigh escaped her. 'When the vampire and demon bit you, they left pieces of themselves inside you.'

So, legends had gotten that part right. Revulsion, dread, and rage pounded through him. 'I'm becoming like them?' The words were stark, ripped from his throat. He wanted to howl in denial; they were evil, he was not. He believed in truth and justice, protecting the weak. 'Exactly like them?'

'Only certain characteristics. We won't know which ones until you experience them.' 'And there's no way to stop the changes? I'm going to become evil?'

'No, never evil.'

'You say that with such surety, yet you also say I'll change.'

'Who you are inside will never change.'