If her naughtydog hadn’t run off, she wouldn’t be in this predicament. Thedrizzle increased to a shower. As if things couldn’t get any worse.What sane person follows her dog off the beaten track, then getsherself lost with less than an hour of daylight left?
“H… hello, issomeone there?”
A bird squawkedsomewhere in the trees overhead.
“I knowsomeone’s there.” Kat cleared her throat, attempting to control thetremble in her voice. She reached for her bag. “I have pepperspray, and I’m not afraid to use it.” She didn’t, but he didn’tknow that.
The guy stillcrouched behind the blackberry bush, but now the top of his headshowed through the foliage. Unruly waves of blue-black hair brushedhis forehead as he shook his head. “There’s no need for that. Idon’t want to hurt you, I promise.”
His gravellyvoice sounded vaguely familiar, like a whisper of a memory or adream. Maybe it was someone she once knew from one of her pastlives.
She balled herclammy hands into fists by her sides. “Show yourself, or I’mcalling the police.” Yeah, right. She’d checked her phone adozen times, and there was no signal out here.
Slowly, hepeeked over the bush, showing only his face.
Her breathhitched. A peculiar sensation washed over her, like being coated inwarm oil. Raindrops glistened on his flawless, bronzed skin,pierced by striking, topaz-blue eyes. Her jaw dropped. Sherecognised him… or at least she thought she did.
Damnamnesia.
Maybe she didknow him, maybe she didn’t. She couldn’t remember anything abouther life before the accident.
She remembereda little of her past lives, though. Flashes of recollections in herdreams, or sudden memories brought on by familiar scents or sounds,the images so vivid, she didn’t doubt the possibility ofreincarnation, or maybe an eternal life. With her platinum blondehair and clear skin, she’d even considered she might be a Norsegoddess—not that there was a righteous bone in her body. Would shewant to be a goddess, though? Maybe she could be related to a godinstead. But forget Thor, the god of thunder, this guy wasseriously rocking the Greek god look… and those eyes… oh boy, thosepiercing blue eyes could get a girl into trouble.
Confusionflashed across his face. He took what seemed like several momentsbefore he spoke again. “Hello.”
Did she detecta slight wobble in his voice too?
“Hi.”
Quietnessdescended around them, the only sound the gentle pitter-patter ofthe rain. Something unseen crackled in the air. Birds ceased theirchirping. The breeze stilled.
Their gazeslocked as though frozen in a pivotal moment in time.
The sugaryscent of magic filled the space between them, the aroma like thatof an old-fashioned sweet shop.
She’d smeltmagic before—her witchy best friend used magic on occasion—but thiswas different. Despite the fading light, the forest took on asomehow enchanted atmosphere. The bluebells seemed bluer, theleaves on the trees a brighter green—even the drizzle was warm andpleasant. If the sun had been shining, she might think she’d walkedright into the pages of a fairytale picture book, but that wasdaft, right?
She forgot howto breathe.
His full lipsparted slightly, his striking eyes filled with hope, withexpectation.
Did she knowhim? Had they met before? He wasn’t smiling, but somehow she knewthe way his mouth would curl as he grinned, how one side would beslightly higher than the other, and she knew how that smile wouldmake a dimple appear in his right cheek, denting his cocoa-colouredskin.
A movement toher left forced her attention elsewhere. Toby appeared, wagging histail excitedly. “Toby, there you are.” Mud covered his paws andnose. “What have you been up to, you little scamp?”
Toby scootedpast her so fast she couldn’t catch him, then made a beeline forthe guy behind the bushes.
Her dog yappedand wagged his tail like he was greeting a long-lost friend.
The guy’s headdisappeared for a few seconds, then he reappeared, holding Toby inhis arms. Her dog licked his handsome face. “Hey there, boy.” Heruffled Toby’s ears and chuckled as he turned to face her.
And there itwas—his heart-melting smile, complete with the dimple in hischeek.
Blood pulsatedin her ears, drowning all sounds of the forest. Her heart beat afrantic rhythm inside her chest.
“I think helikes me,” he said, seemingly oblivious to her inner turmoil.
Kat frowned.Toby didn’t like anyone. In fact, most of the time, he growledwhenever anyone came within two feet of him and had been known toadminister a nip or two on occasion, especially to Selene; he’dnever liked her friend, oddly. However, Toby appeared quite happyin this man’s arms.
Still,something about his mannerisms put her at ease, not just Toby’sobvious contentment. A sense of something magical, somethingprofound, hovered beyond her grasp. All thoughts of him being somepsycho rapist-killer lurking in the woods vanished from hermind.
“Sorry. If he’sbeing a nuisance…?”
“Not at all.He’s a cute little fellow.” The way he spoke reminded her ofsomeone older, kind of old-fashioned, like a grandad, but with hisgravelly voice doing something tingly to her insides, this guy wasas far removed from a favourite grandad as he could get.
“Not that cute.He ran off and got both of us lost.”
“You’re lost?”he asked, fending off another licking assault from Toby.
His neck wasvisible now, as was the slope of his bare shoulders.
Was hecompletely naked? She didn’t want to know… did she?
I hope thosethorns aren’t scratching his…
She focused.“Yes, it’s how I ended up in the middle of nowhere.” She thoughther explanation would prompt him to tell her why he was here. Itdidn’t.
“Sorry,” shewent on, “but I have the weirdest feeling. Do I know you?”
He stiffened.“I don’t know, do you?” he whispered.
Somewhere inthe deepest recess of her mind, a vision flashed before her.
Fire. Ice.Destruction.
Something evil,yet something magical and good too.
Moments passed.She shook her head to rid herself of the images. “No, sorry. Ithought I recognised you for a second. My mistake.”
The guy sighed,then held Toby over the bush towards her. The top of his torsoshowed. Broad shoulders, well-defined pecs. Something obsidianappeared, just behind his left shoulder. A shadow? No, it was too…sparkly?
Odd.
But he wasdefinitely naked, or at least his top half was. For some strangereason, it didn’t bother her now. Maybe he was a harmlessnaturist—because she had a sudden need to come up with a plausiblereason why he would be naked in the middle of the woods. And Tobyseemed to like him…
Stop it!
