Runestone (13 page)

He lifted her onto tiptoe, his arms wrapping about her as if trying to double. His breath heated her tattoo and traveled across her jaw to her lips. “Evangeline, I’m sorry, baby. You say it’s not right for me, and I’ll have to believe you even if I don’t like it. Forgive my anger.”

When she pressed her lips to his, she tried to pour all the love and need she felt into him. But in the back of her mind, a little voice whispered that maybe he was right. Maybe he could bond with her and Will. Maybe she needed to give him the immortal blood before it was too late.

Navigating by the stars was a pain in the ass. The sky was flawless blue. How the hell did they know they were on the right path? It wasn’t that Sean didn’t believe in Dante’s abilities, but tromping all over mountain ranges didn’t seem like the straightest route to a runestone, which according to Maria, would hold a piece to the puzzle.

Let’s just get the fuck off this mountain.

They were switch-backing all over the damn place, never seeming to lose any altitude, and his wife was exhausted. Mere hours before, Evangeline had collapsed from the strain of the tremors, which were exacerbated by the physical demands of scaling a mountain.

He watched her carefully choose her footing. He kept one hand at her elbow, prepared to grab her if she fell again. Why wouldn’t she let him carry her like he’d asked? And why the hell didn’t the other immortals see she needed to stop?

They rounded a sharp bend, and Sean gave a rasp of relief. Below them, a village stretched across the valley. Hopefully the place boasted a bed for rent. Sean planned to get Evangeline into it with all haste.

Though he wasn’t thinking of taking her succulent body, his cock was, which led to thoughts of Will. Since Evangeline’s Vision of him battling immortals and having a tooth chipped, Sean had tried to picture him.

He missed Will with a heavy ache that reminded him of the pain he felt when Evangeline had left him. More than anything, he wished he could hold his lover like he had in the early hours of dawn before Evangeline woke. Often they would spend long minutes kissing and fondling and talking quietly until their play would rouse her from sleep. Sean cherished these moments as he relished the minute when Will dropped off at night and Evangeline was all his.

Both. I need both.

When the ground began to slope with their descent, Sean breathed easier. Ahead of him, Evangeline’s stepped seemed lighter too.

Within half an hour, they were walking into the village. The main street was lined with market stalls. Crowds surged from vendor to vendor, filling their cloth sacks with goods. Chickens and slabs of meat hung from a wooden beam of one booth, where a plump native woman hovered over a bed of coals. The scent of freshly grilled meat made Sean’s mouth water.

He heard Evangeline’s stomach rumble, and shot her a crooked grin. “Let’s get food.” He kept her hand securely in his as he wove through the crush to the vendor. He dug the correct currency from his pocket and Evangeline accepted a parcel of wrapped food for them and the others.

By the time they returned to the group, Sean’s stomach was clawing itself inside out at the smell of that food. The women were seated on a sparse patch of turf and their men lingered near them. When Evangeline spread the food out on the ground, using her backpack as a table, everyone fell to it with hungry cries.

“I’ll fetch us some drinks,” Dante said around a mouthful of the delicious meat. He shot Nathan a look that read as 'keep Maria safe,' then took off into the crowd.

Gracie groaned as the first bite passed her lips. “This beats a day of beef jerky and nuts. I didn’t realize how starved I was until I smelled that woman’s cooking!”

“It’s good, no?” Javier asked.

What kind of meat is this?” Evangeline asked, swiping the juices from her lips with the back of one hand.

“I don’t care if it’s goat as long as there’s more of it,” Gracie said, tucking into a second piece.

Sean gnawed the meat off the bones and tossed them to a stray dog that was lying nearby with his head on its front paws. It jumped up to gather the bones, tail wagging wildly, and hunkered on its haunches to crunch them in its powerful jaws.

“We need more. I’ll get some.” Gracie gained her feet and started off toward the market stall.

Sean caught her wrist. “Not alone you’re not.” He met Nathan’s eyes, and received a nod, indicating Evangeline would be safe with him.

Gracie wiped her hands on her track pants. “Thanks, Sean.”

As they maneuvered through the populace of the small village and surrounding area, Sean stuck to Gracie. But it was proving to be a difficult task as she was like a curious child, stopping at various booths. When she paused to inspect some bolts of hand woven cloth in bright colors and patterns, Sean realized he’d lost her.

Backtracking, he spotted a tall man nearby, watching her. A shot of adrenaline filled his bloodstream, and his muscles coiled. Catching a man gaping at a beauty like Gracie was not unusual. But this man was white-blond in a sea of dark natives.

Sean dipped his mouth to her ear. “Gracie, don’t look up, but there is a man staring at you.”

Her head twitched on the graceful column of her throat as she struggled to obey Sean’s command. Nearby, smoke roiled from a cook pot, filling the air with sharp smells. The strange flavor of the meat and the smoke lay on Sean’s tongue, along with the acid of fear.

She chanced a look at the stranger. She dragged a harsh gasp through her lungs and dropped her head, a little tremble running through her. “Sean, that man is an immortal.”

He gripped her by the elbow and plunged into the crowd. Heart racing, he craned his neck to see Evangeline above the throng, but she was seated, obscured from view. People swarmed like bees on honey, making it impossible to see his wife or the men who would protect her. Or the immortal who was watching them.

“Fuck.”

Gracie jerked in his hold. “Is he following?”

“I don’t know. Have you ever seen that man before?”

She shook her head. “I’m new to this life. I’ve only been with Dante, Maria, Nate and Lillian. And Will.”

Sean’s heart spasmed at the sound of Will’s name. He lengthened his strides, desperate to reach Evangeline, and knowing Gracie’s longer legs could keep up with him. He swung his head right and left, searching for the unknown immortal. What might have happened if they’d let Gracie go off on her own? The man might have swept her off, never to be seen again.

The crowd parted, and Sean spied the familiar dark wreath of waves—Evangeline. Relief surged to his fingertips. He quickened his pace until they were almost running.

At his and Gracie’s approach, Nathan was on the immediate alert. “What is it?” He lowered his head with determination, legs braced wide, prepared for bad news or battle.

“There’s an immortal in the area.”

Evangeline jumped to her feet, and the other women followed. Dante’s hand wrapped around Maria’s upper arm, and he pulled her near.

“A man. About six foot three, white-blond hair and wearing ragged pants cut off at the knees and a homespun shirt,” Sean said, drawing Evangeline into his side and keeping a grip on Gracie. “Full beard, dark, but streaked blond like he spends a lot of time in the sun. Very tan. I caught him staring at Gracie, and when she peeked at him, she recognized him as immortal.”

“Pair up. Men with women.” Nathan nodded for Javier to partner with Gracie. “Search the market. If you find him, try to feel him out. He might not be part of the army we’re searching for, but just passing through. Maybe even a villager. We’re uncommon, but not so much that we can’t run across innocents.”

Dante and Maria set off at once, their dark heads bobbing along in the sea of similarly colored persons. Javier patted the spot on his spine where he wore his weapon and then grasped Gracie’s hand and towed her in another direction.

Nathan fished in his front pocket and came out with the pocket knife Gracie had used to Make Javier immortal. With a meaningful flash of his eyes, he passed this to Evangeline. Her mouth fell open and a soft gasp came from her. When she accepted the blade, her hand shook.

Sean swallowed hard around the knot of fury in his throat. Since he was mortal, he was a casualty. If something went wrong and he lost his life, Evangeline could hurriedly share her blood for a quick fix. It scorched him to know that he wasn’t really protecting her, but she him.

Evangeline’s delicate fingers threaded through his, and they hurled themselves into the crowd. Sean battled against his rising self-disgust. If a confrontation arose, he’d need to keep his wits about him. As always when stressed, his martial arts moves ran through his mind.

Her frightened whisper cut through the haze and he gained some perspective. “What do you think he wants?”

He caressed the violet streak on her brow, softening all over at her tone and her need. “Nathan may be right. The immortal might be a local, and have been drawn to Gracie when he noticed she’s immortal.”

“I know you can keep me safe, Sean.”

He jerked. How had she read him so completely? When he looked into her bright eyes, he saw she simply meant it. She had confidence in his abilities, because he’d saved her twice before—once from a rapist, and from Marcus with Will’s help.

The fragmented pieces of his world drew back together and he squared his shoulders.
Damn right I can take care of you. Immortal or mortal, I’ll kill anyone who dares to threaten you.

After they’d circled the market twice, they found Nathan and Lillian. “Nothing,” Nathan said as they neared. “We ran into the others, and they say the same thing. We think he bugged out. Everyone is gathering supplies, and then we’ll go after the runestone. Maria spoke to an old woman who told her there is a runestone known in these parts.” He turned and pointed at the distant mountain. “There.”

Sean wrapped Evangeline in his arms and stroked her tattoo, granting her a small amount of ease. Whatever happened, they were together, which was more than Will could say.

* * * * *

Thick vines twisted over the forest floor, tripping any foot that dared cross them. The tree canopy was alive with screams of birds, instilling visions of horror movies. And the air hung heavily with fog from a fresh rain.

Sean suppressed a shiver. The rainforest plus the fog reminded him of meeting Will for the first time. A time when he’d been determined to break the man’s neck for stealing his beloved. A time when he’d tried to.

After that intense scuffle, Will had shocked the hell out of him by suggesting they share her. And now months later, he had Evangeline all to himself and could only wish for Will to take part.

His T-shirt clung to his sweat-slicked skin, and his jeans rode low on his hips, heavy with moisture from the light rain they’d just walked through. His hair streamed down the back of his neck, leaving him as uncomfortable as he’d ever been. But his passions ran high.

Evangeline’s curvy hips swayed in front of him, tormenting him beyond belief. His cock strained at his fly, urging him to throw her over the first log he encountered, strip her down, draw her round little ass against his groin and pound the shit out of her. Her state of dishevelment was driving him wild.

Her hair hung in thick snakes on her nape. Once in awhile, she’d raise a hand and catch a droplet of water as it broke free of her hairline and sidled down her neck, and Sean would catch the flash of her wedding rings. Knowing she was his sent a new spike of need to his cock. His gaze narrowed, eyes flicking right and left for the nearest felled tree.

In one long stride, he’d caught her against him. As her mouth opened with a gasp, he claimed it. His tongue swept the depths of her moist cavern, one hand pressing into her lower back, applying pressure, bending her, tipping her over his arm as he ravaged her sweet lips.

He felt her quicken in his hold, stretching, blossoming, like when she came apart. He tore his mouth away. His voice was pitched low. “You want me to fuck you right here, don’t you, baby?”

The grind of her hips against his was answer enough. He dipped his knees and caught her up in his arms. One foot fell off the path. Two.

And then a cry came from the head of the group. “Runestone!”

Evangeline twisted in his arms, and he hastily set her on her feet. She broke into a run, darting up the path as if her feet were winged. Sean took off too, pushing through the thick foliage until they reached a small clearing.

Standing at a crooked angle in the earth was a stone, barely discernable for the vines swallowing it. Javier, who was closest, unsheathed a machete worn at his hip. With a sudden movement, he slashed away the greenery.

Evangeline pushed through the bodies crowding around the stone and fell to her knees. She scrabbled at the face of it, tearing away moss and roots. “What does it say, Maria. What?” Her voice escalated, breaking on the last word.

Maria dropped to her knees beside her. Together, they worked to remove the debris. The stone incisions were thickened by plant life, but Sean’s heart sped up at the sight. This could have the answers they sought. And Sean was eager to get the fuck out of this jungle before something really bad happened. The ominous feeling hanging over him would not dispel. Whether he met with a disaster or they ran into the immortal army, dangers lurked around every tree.

He swung his backpack to the ground and fumbled through the contents until he found one of his dirty T-shirts. He thrust it into Evangeline’s hands. “Use this.”

She scraped at the stone wildly, her hands shaking so badly, she struggled to hold onto the cloth.

“Let me.” Maria took it from her and worked to clear the stone face.

Dante slipped a hand around Evangeline’s throat, stroking her tattoo until she sagged.