Page 37 of Awaken the Dragon
“If you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today.” She spoke the words of the old native proverb again, tilting her face to the water so that it ran over her eyes, nose and mouth.
The words were whispered on repeat until she felt completely cleansed and was ready for the next step, but the moment she opened her eyes, she saw him. He was standing at the river on the other side of that tree, just as he had been hours ago, looking so sexy and yet so unreachable. Even if Shola were available for this man, he was not available to her. She could see it in the way he tried so hard to keep his distance from her and could hear it in the way he spoke to her ever so carefully. So why had he tried to kiss her?
She had no idea. What she did know was how idiotic she’d felt waiting for that kiss to happen and how disappointed she was when it hadn’t. Her lips still tingled with anticipation. She grabbed the cloth and soap and washed her body, trying not to acknowledge how every swipe of the wet cloth over her skin reminded her of how much she wanted Theo to touch her.
Who was she kidding? She slammed her hand over the nozzle, stopping the water, and stepped out of the shower to grab her towel. She was going down to the river, right now.
Fifteen minutes later, wearing the first sundress she’d seen in her bag and with her hair pulled into a high puff, but still dripping from the shower, she stepped into the clearing and stared at Theo’s bare back.
Correction, the finely chiseled muscles of Theo’s back. In the misty light from the moon, he looked like a god. In her mind that sounded melodramatic, but her eyes and body totally agreed. He wore dark sweatpants that hung low on his hips and nothing else. His skin appeared bronzed and his ass...she looked away. And after staring at a tree for endless moments jumped when he said, “Join me.”
She walked to the water’s edge and stood about a foot away from him. Her mind had insisted she move in the opposite direction, but her body was clearly in the driver’s seat tonight.
“Your fiancé is a vampire,” he said.
She inhaled slowly and linked her hands behind her back.
Theo continued, “He’s actually a lord. Do you know what that is?”
“No,” she replied, her voice much quieter than she wanted it to be.
“He’s of royal blood. Top of the hierarchy in the vampire world. Unfortunately, those in charge won’t officially give him the title because his mother cheated on her husband with someone else, but he’s rightfully a lord vampire. He owns a club where he funnels money for crime bosses and also holds the title as the biggest manufacturer and distributor of hella, the top drug in the Human Realm.”
All of this information was new to her, but she didn’t respond.
“I’d say you’ve got crappy taste in men, but I’ve been told you didn’t select him personally.”
“I did not.”
If this was the chastisement speech, Shola was certain she wasn’t reacting well. So far all she felt was the overwhelming urge to touch him anywhere. Behind her back, she squeezed her fingers together.
“You knew about demonics, and you don’t seem shocked at the existence of vampires. Is that because you are magickal yourself? Or were you sent here to take down one who’s also responsible for siphoning resources from your country?”
“My destiny has nothing to do with his criminal enterprise.” At least she hoped it didn’t. As far as she knew, the identity of the man she was supposed to marry had not become known until he appeared in her village.
He remained silent, and she weighed her options. Her plan to kill Warrick was not working, and now Theo knew more than she did about her target. Wondering why the goddess had not shared who and what Warrick was with her before now was futile.
“I will not apologize for leaving.” He was staring straight ahead and so was she, when her gaze didn’t veer to the side to steal another glimpse at his awesome pectoral muscles. “Or for not telling you why I was here. It was not part of the plan. None of this was. I had no idea that the guard my father hired would bring me to his home and forbid me to leave without his permission or a chaperone.”
“Because from day one, demonics have been after you. After your power and most likely whatever the real reason you are here,” he countered.
“I get it.” She could admit that now. “But to be fair, you have no idea what I am up against. No idea what is at stake if I fail.”
“I have no idea?” he asked, his tone incredulous and loud. So loud that she turned to look at him and found him staring directly at her with very blue eyes.
“Come with me,” he said. It sounded like a request, but the way he grabbed her wrist and practically pulled her along as he began briskly walking gave a different impression.
She stumbled once over a log, and then again when they came to a narrow pathway that would take them across the river into what looked like the wall of the mountain. He turned to her then and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her like a baby across that path. It occurred to her that she could argue that she was perfectly capable of walking—after all she had swum for miles in that river—but his actions ended with her hands on him. Her arms went around his neck, palms resting on the back of his shoulders, and one side of her body was flush with his. The warmth that had begun spreading was comforting as well as arousing.
But her attention was eventually drawn to where he was going after they cleared the pathway. He moved with intent, his long strides easily taking the grass-covered ground. They were headed directly to the mountain. One of the things that had intrigued her most about the Office was how it had been built into the mountain itself. Like the builders just carved out a huge chunk of rock and stuck a mansion-size dwelling into it.
This part of the chunk of rock was different from the front. There were no windows and no doors. No sign of civilization at all. Yet, Theo was walking them straight ahead.
“Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer for a few steps, and then after she noticed the muscle twitching in his jaw, he replied, “To the place I believe we’ve been headed since you climbed onto my bike.”
Theo walked them right up to the mountain, and without him stopping to do anything special, the rock cracked and a thick chunk of it pushed away from the mountain before sliding to the side. He stepped through that opening, and she looked back to see the rock easing back into place behind them.
