Sweet Reckoning

He looked half amused and half lusty as he lifted his palms in question. “You’re running from me?”

Glad he could find humor in it.

“If you keep being all hot like that, then yes. It’s not safe.”

“To be hot?”

“To do it.” I crossed my arms.

Kaidan’s lips quirked upward. “Do what?”

“Be serious, Kai.”

He stepped toward me again and I stepped farther back, running into his rental car.

“No more sex,” I said in a rush.

A look of astonishment crossed his face.

“Just until after the summit,” I added quickly.

All amusement vanished at the mention of the summit. Kaidan’s face once again turned hard as he stared at me.

“Kaidan . . . ,” I whispered.

He continued to stare, the mask in place to hide all emotions from me. I hated that mask. I wanted to yank it off and throw it over the cliff. I went to him and placed my hands on his shoulders. He made no move to touch me back. I lowered my hands down his arms and took his hands. When I spoke, I kept my tone gentle, but firm.

“You have to pretend not to like me. It sucks, but it’s the smartest plan. If we’re both going to survive this, which I really think we can, and will, this is our best bet. You’re better at hiding your feelings than I am, but at this point it doesn’t matter if they think I have feelings for you. You can even say you made me fall for you to lure me in. Your father trusts you to find me and get me to the summit on your own. That’s huge. He has to think you’re in his pocket until the very last minute. We’ll have freedom to communicate with each other and warn the others. Do you really want to jeopardize one of the only things we have going for us?”

He closed his eyes and squeezed my hands. When he opened his eyes the mask slipped away.

“No, I don’t. I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do. Or not do.”

I let out a relieved breath, trying to push back the waves of emotion. “Thank you. So, from here on out, no kissing, no holding hands or touching until this is all over. No doing anything that could be suspicious.”

He nodded, lips pursed, and let my hands go. I felt an immediate loss. I missed him already.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

PRISONER

Kai and I went our separate ways that morning so I could hide while he took care of the estate business. I didn’t want to go anywhere too populated where whisperers might be, so I drove around winding back roads, passing farms. When I stopped for gas I went into a nearby drugstore for a drink, tape, glue, and a large bag of candies.

The plan was to contact Pharzuph that afternoon, and that evening we’d be on a plane to wherever he demanded. I had to conceal the Sword of Righteousness when I flew. Hiding it in a bag of candies had worked for all my trips so far, since X-ray machines couldn’t detect its celestial material. I parked in the back of a tiny church’s lot under shade trees and set to work disguising the hilt, stuffing a piece of banana taffy into my mouth as I went.

After lunch I got a text from James Bond that said, Done.

My stomach constricted and I started the car to meet him at the car rental place as we’d discussed. I made it there in forty-five minutes and waited in the parking lot while he turned in the car. When he came out, I moved to the backseat and scrunched down while he took the driver’s seat, setting a white box and some paperwork in the passenger seat, then adjusting the leg room and driving us away.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Back to my old home so you can shower and get ready.”

My heart thumped. “Do you think it’s safe?”

“My father’s gone. The house is under contract, but it’s still mine until the sale is final. If a whisperer shows, I’ll let it know I’m in charge of you. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” I hated the idea of setting foot in that lair, but we didn’t have many options.

When we got there, Kaidan held my arm as if escorting me inside, in case any whisperers decided to show. Kaidan keyed in a code for the alarm and let me go when the door closed. The house was eerily quiet, and the sheets draped over the furniture made the place feel even spookier.

Kai led me down to the basement so I could use his shower. I glanced once at his giant king-size bed with its gray silky sheets, and I wanted to vomit remembering Pharzuph’s comment about the smell of lust. I couldn’t smell anything, but still. The thought of how many girls had been in here made my stomach hurt with a vile intensity.

“Here.” Kaidan handed me a fluffy black towel from the linen closet. I wasn’t sure if his sudden gruffness was part of his captor act, or if being back in his old space felt as uncomfortable to him as it did to me.

I went into the bathroom and heard Kaidan’s music turn on the moment I closed the door. Everything in the large rest-room was black and shiny. Very masculine. I showered, using all his boy products, and kind of liking the idea of smelling like him all day. Though these products had nothing on the scent of his natural pheromones.

After brushing my hair and teeth, I dressed in a pair of shorts since I couldn’t wear the hilt now that it was snug in its candy bed. I wouldn’t have been able to wear it at the airport. My knife either. I’d have to change clothes and secure the hilt around my ankle again when we got to our destination—wherever that might be. When I opened the door, Kaidan was sitting on the edge of the bed with something silver in his hands and a grave expression on his face.