Call of the Siren(66)
Thorne…the bomb…escaping through the portal with Dagan.
From there, the memories dimmed, letting her know she’d probably relapsed into unconsciousness. The upside was that she seemed to have slept through the worst of the nausea and shakes. Now she felt mostly sweaty and grimy.
She slowly sat up in the small bed, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She was in a rustic log cabin, lying beneath a blue, green, and ivory striped comforter. Windows were cut into the log walls, and they were cracked open to magnify the singing of the insects.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps along a wooden floor padded toward her. The electrifying energy stream told her it was Dagan.
Holy shit, Dagan. He’d stuck with her, despite the fact that it could very well mean his death. Even more surprising, Ronin had allowed it.
Before she could further ponder that, the door slid open a fraction, admitting a sliver of light from what must be a dimly lit lamp in the other room. Dagan peered inside, his turquoise eyes landing on hers with relief.
“Thank the devil, you’re awake.”
She nodded, self-consciously patting down her hair. It was tangled beyond belief and slightly crunchy to the touch, as if she’d vomited in it at some point. Hell, she probably had.
Wincing, she forced herself to meet his gaze. “How long have I been out?”
“Not long. A couple hours at most,” he murmured, stepping further into the room. He didn’t turn on the light, no doubt recognizing that such a drastic lighting change would likely give her a splitting headache. Rather, he left the door open as he strode to the bed and sat down beside her.
“How you feeling?” he asked softly.
“Like shit.”
He chuckled, and for the first time she noted what he was wearing: an overlarge, gray T-shirt and black sweatpants that looked a couple sizes too big. While she couldn’t call it an improvement over the snug black boxer briefs he’d been clad in earlier, it was certainly less distracting.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Somewhere in upstate New York.” He shrugged. “After we let out from the portal, I drove until I found an old, secluded cabin out in the woods. There’s no one around for miles as far as I can tell.”
She read his unspoken words. No one else around to get hurt if I go ka-boom.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
A brief smile lit his face. His eyes moved from her face down her body, leaving a trail of heat and awareness she couldn’t quite ignore.
“I figured you’d want a shower when you woke.”
“Hell, yeah.” Now that Dagan had mentioned it, she didn’t know how she could go another minute without one.
“There’s a small bathroom right outside this room. I laid out some clothes I found on the countertop next to the sink, but they’ll be huge on you.”
“I presume it’s from the same benefactor who provided your clothes.”
When he nodded, she peeled the comforter from her body, wincing at the momentary stab of pain her stomach. He noticed it, though. His mouth tightened, and he reached forward, lifting her shirt up to reveal the spot where the dark fae had implanted her with a magical bomb. Thanks to her angelic healing power, the skin was smooth and unmarred. Only someone with Maya’s immunity to glamour would be able to see it for what it really was.
“I can’t believe it,” he murmured, his brows furrowing. “How was that bastard even capable of doing something like that?”
“Belpheg is strong. He has powers beyond what we’re accustomed to.” Which was what made him such an unpredictable foe. “If I try to cut it out, it’ll detonate.”
Dagan’s jaw clenched. “I don’t get it. If he’s so powerful, what could he possibly want with us?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “But it is you he wants. The four of you.”
His eyes rose to meet hers, and the flaming blue heat in them momentarily stole her breath. “Does it hurt?”
“Just a bit sore.” Nothing to complain about. At least that wasn’t. “You shouldn’t have come with me. You’re risking your life for no reason.”
“I wouldn’t say it’s for no reason,” he murmured.
Something wild and heavy suddenly flavored the air between them, making her breath catch. Only the realization that she probably stank to high heaven was enough to make her unglue her gaze from his.
“I… I’d better go wash up.”
He nodded and rose, the hem of his sweater momentarily lifting to reveal that the sweatpants were slung low on his hips. A hint of a happy trail disappeared beneath the knot in his pants.
Lina held her breath at the sudden clenching of lust in her body. Horniness had never been one of the symptoms of recovering from score, so she couldn’t blame her reaction on anything other than pure, instinctive desire. She’d secretly lusted after Dagan for so long, and now they were alone together…for the devil knew how long.