“I’ll say.” But my heart still feels heavy.
I turn and my gaze sweeps over the sphinx’s still corpse once more. “I’m so sorry for bringing you back. It was an accident, you know that. If you can hear me wherever you are, I hope someday you can forgive me.”
Confessing to a dead sphinx is silly, but as I speak the words from my heart the guilt I’m feeling eases.
Harpoc gives me another of his warm smiles. “You okay?”
I bob my head.
“Then it’s time to take care of her.”
I furrow my brow.
“We can’t very well leave her here,” he says.
I scan the area not seeing any possibilities of burying something her size. “What’d you have in mind?”
“The great catnip fields in the skies.”
My eyebrows raise. “There’s—”
Harpoc laughs, which makes me laugh. It feels good to let go of some of my tension and angst. That’s why he says it, I have no doubt, and I gently punch his very firm bicep. “Thank you.”
He nods toward the sphinx, and I turn in time to see something near her head sparkle, then float up. More and more sparkles follow until a trail forms in the air above her and drifts skyward.
My mouth drops open the longer I watch. It’s like a host of fireflies migrating down her back, surrounding her legs and tail, slowly floating up, disappearing into the night sky. It’s magical to behold, and I choose to release the remaining traces of guilt along with it.
I turn back to Harpoc only once the last of her and the sparkles have disappeared. “That was nice, fitting I think. She’ll be forever free.” And so will I.
“Glad you approve.” He gives me a wink, then turns and scans the area. “You mentioned seeing this dig site, would you still like to in daylight? Seems we have the place to ourselves.”
“You mean like… like stay here tonight?” My voice rises, probably more than it should, relief contributing.
We certainly do have the place to ourselves. We’re completely alone… together.
“No doubt we can find a vacant bed or two.” A corner of Harpoc’s mouth hitches up.
It’s good that the flashlight’s inanimate because I squeeze it tight trying to control my hand’s twitching. Seeing this ancient site would be amazing, but… I bite my lip.
“You’ve been rather… secretive…” I hedge, unsure how to say this without him taking offense. “… like you don’t want me knowing more about you. Why would you want to spend more time with me?”
“Pell, I’ve never not wanted to spend time with you.”
Butterflies start tap dancing in my stomach, but I push them back, wagging my brows. “With my superpowers of observation, I might discover something you don’t want me to know about you.”
“You fancy yourself a super heroine, do you?” Harpoc’s smile can’t get wider.
“Absolutely. I’m saving the world from secrecy.”
“I believe I’m up for the challenge.” He pulls his shoulders back and chest out, as cocky as ever.
Game on. I grin to myself.
“Come on, I promise I’ll behave myself.” Harpoc winks as he draws his arm wide, inviting me to walk with him.
My face warms. I’m glad he can’t see how red I’ve turned in the dark.
Harpoc draws open the flap on the smallest—not a pup tent, but still smallish—tent, and my mouth goes dry.
He wags his brows as he says, “After you, my lady.”
I fist my free hand trying and failing to control my nerves, then step into his lair.
Yes, lair. Good name for it, Pell.
I hope he doesn’t notice my flashlight beam shaking as we both do a quick inspection that reveals a pair of neatly made canvas cots against opposing walls, separated by a stack of suitcases with a rechargeable lantern on top. Trunks stand at the foot of each cot along with several books, whether for study or pleasure I’ll soon find out.
“Looks like you picked the site managers’ accommodations,” I say.
“Only the best for you.”
I titter in response. I actually titter.
What is wrong with you, Pell? Get a grip.
I make a beeline for the cot dressed in a blue blanket to the right and sit before I do something really stupid.
Harpoc swaggers to the stack of suitcases and switches on the light before pulling off his duster and laying it across the trunk along with his flashlight. “Might as well get comfortable.”
As he turns, I can’t help but notice how his leather vest fits his trim frame very nicely and his butt...
Stop it, Pell.
I rise and shuck my coat off, doing the same, then quickly sit back down, hands in my lap. “So…”
Harpoc’s metallic eyes dance. My heart won’t slow.
“Do you enjoy reading?” Harpoc asks from where he’s lying, arm under his head, after several awkwardly silent moments.
I resist fiddling with my fingers. “I do. I prefer almost any kind of fantasy, but I’ll go for”—my face warms—“other genres once in a while if I’m in the mood.”
Yes, other steamy genres that I’m not about to divulge.
Harpoc sits up and grins like the Cheshire cat. “And do these ‘other genres’ have names?”
Seems I don’t need to specify. Alarm bells shriek in my head. Redirect, Pell, redirect.
I clear my throat trying and failing to stop blushing. “What do you like to read?”
He smirks, taking delight in my discomfort for entirely too long before replying, “I don’t get the chance to read much.”
“But when you do?”
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that.”
I furrow my brow. He says he’s a private person, okay fine, but why does that include secrecy about his reading habits? Give me a break.
I set my jaw. Enough. If we’re spending the night together, I’m going to find out more about him. No way am I
