Page 30 of The Mating Fire
“Ohhhh.” Sonia nodded. “Like when Daddy did when I turned his favorite trench coat into a nest for my spiders.”
What an odd child, and yet her honest and winsome manner won Harper over. “I suppose so, only your father doesn’t strike me as being as dangerous as a volcano.”
“You’ve never seen him erupt,” Sonia said solemnly.
Harper laughed. “I suppose not.”
The little girl tilted her head. “Uh oh. I’d better get back. They’re looking for me. It was nice to meet you, Harper. I like you. I hope you and Jared will get along and you stay for a long, long time.”
“Nice to meet you as well.”
I hope I will get out of here.
“I’ll come back later, when Jared’s not in human form. That’s late at night when I’m supposed to be asleep, but I pop out and visit him here. Sometimes when he’s in Skin he is too serious. Not as much fun as his other form. Bye!”
With a wave, the child vanished.
A cold chill rushed down Harper’s spine. Not in human form? What did that mean?
And what kind of form did Jared take on at night?
Chapter 11
After wandering around the castle, Harper finally found the courtyard Jared had mentioned. She saw no exits, no way out of the stone structure.
She couldn’t make a phone call, either. Her cell was missing, and she knew he’d done that on purpose.
As if one could get a signal within these imposing stone walls. As she entered the soft green grass, where an archery target rested against one wall, she had an epiphany.
If I am this great magickal being Sonia says, I should be able to use my powers to get the hell out of here.
No longer intimated by her circumstances or the dizzying trajectory her life had taken, she felt buoyed by hope.
Jared stood near the target, dressed in black trousers, a form-fitting black T-shirt and boots. A quiver filled with arrows was slung over one shoulder. The clothing set off his trim, muscled body.
She tried to ignore the shiver of desire snaking through her, as if she were butter melting on a hot skillet.
Making a slight, formal bow, he gestured to the target. “You asked about hobbies. This is one. Have you ever shot at a target?”
“I’ve shot beams of electrons in an electron microscope to magnify minute particles of igneous rock.”
His brow wrinkled. “Sounds fascinating. This is quite different.”
Jared walked several paces from the round target and motioned for her to step back. “I’ll demonstrate and then you can try it.”
He pulled several arrows from the quiver and shot in quick succession, all hitting the bullseye. Harper frowned.
“You’re obviously quite good. But being an expert in an activity must be boring.”
Jared tilted his head. “Boring how?”
“If you’re perfect in it, there’s no way to improve. No challenge.”
“I never considered that,” he mused. “Then let me teach you. It is far more interesting than shooting electrons, though I daresay not as… scientific.”
As he came close and slung the quiver over her shoulder, Jared handed her the bow. He stood behind her, his body cradled into hers as he showed her how to pull back on the bow.
The activity reminded her of a far more pleasant, and dangerous one that involved both of them getting naked…
