The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) (44 page)

“
I
’
m not going to bite you,
”
he said.
His voice held a maddening note of purely male amusement.

She tossed the other pages on his bed, then grabbed the folder from his hand.
“
I might bite
you
, if you don
’
t stop staring at me.
”

He laughed.

She waved the folder at him. “Did you figure out whether these were misreads, or not? They keep popping up, and I’m starting to get a little concerned.”

“
The equipment is fine.
”
He reached an arm around her back to urge her toward the tent door, and this time, she did jerk away.
“
Easy, Sara.
You came into
my
tent.
”

“
I
’
m not looking for a liaison!
I want my sister
’
s charts.
While we
’
re at it, I want to know why these readings keep getting higher.
”
She thrust the folder at his chest.

He favored her with a long-suffering look.
“
Is this the way the rest of the dig is going to go?
You
’
ve been barking at me the past two weeks.
I am on your team, you know.
We both want the same thing.
”

Sara fixed him with an icy look.
“
I don
’
t think we want
exactly
the same thing.
”

He threw his hands in the air, and plopped down on his bed.
“
All right.
I
’
ve made no secret about the fact that I
’
m interested in you.
Does that mean you
’
re going to be hostile to me for the rest of this dig?
”

“
I
’
ll tell you what,
”
she said, moving toward the door.
“
You be nice to Ian, and I
’
ll be nice to you.
”

“
Him again.
”

Incensed, she spun back toward the bed.
“
What is it that bugs you about him, Flintrop?
It can
’
t possibly be that he has more money and fame than you do.
”

Flintrop rose to his feet.
He stalked forward with a sudden, serious look that made her freeze where she stood.
When he reached her, he leaned close enough for her to feel his breath on her face.
His eyes gleamed.
“
He only has one thing I want.
”

Sara felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and backed toward the door.
“
I
’
ll see you later.
”

She wasn
’
t certain, as she left, why it seemed more like she was fleeing than walking out.

Work continued at a killing pace the final three days of the excavation. The crew had given up trying to chide Sara and her sister away from their work, and did their jobs without comment.

Sara forgot everything but the mindless routine of trowel, brush, and sieve. Instead of being an amorphous mound of earth, the dig now showed the lines of wall and doorway, the contours of sleeping areas, and places where food and livestock had been stowed. She could almost see a house where the ruin stood, a familiar sensation that still gave her a chill to this day.

In the beginning of her career, as a field assistant, she
’
d felt like an intruder into the private lives of others.
As time went on, she grew accustomed to the feeling of being watched and judged by the ghosts of the past.

She wondered offhand if Hakon was watching them now.

The thought gave her the jitters.
Everything gave her jitters lately.
What little sleep she could catch sapped away with simpler and simpler tasks.
On hands and knees, she shook off her apprehension and continued scraping away at the circular patch over the hearth at the center of the house.
The earth blurred beneath her, and she shook her head.
So tired.
If I could just rest for ten minutes...

“
Sara.
”

She jerked to attention and looked across the hearth, where Faith had paused in her digging.
Her sister dropped her tools and sat back.
“
Why don
’
t you go up to Ian
’
s camp?
”

For a moment, Sara just looked at her sister without absorbing the question.

Faith
’
s brow furrowed.
“
Ian.
Remember Ian?
Sara, I
’
m worried about you.
You need to sleep.
”

Guilt oozed down Sara
’
s spine.
She
’
d been working through the night without telling her sister.
And Ian... She hadn
’
t seen him in days.
The only rest she
’
d gotten in weeks was the too-short space of time she had spent in his arms after making love to him.

Did he have any idea how she felt when they lay together in the night, silent and peaceful while the wind drifted and the ocean sighed outside?

She loved him.

I love him.

I have to tell him.
She lunged to her feet.

The motion made her head spin.
As her legs buckled underneath her, she registered only distant surprise.

“
Whoa, easy.
”
Firm hands hooked her by the elbows and pulled her onto her feet.

She shook her head and looked up.
Flintrop stood behind her with a concerned expression.

Faith hurried over. “All right, that’s it. Go lie down before I make you. I’m not kidding.”

Flintrop frowned.
“
Faith
’
s right.
You need to take a break, even if you don
’
t sleep, Sara.
Exhausting yourself isn
’
t going to help us finish the project.
”

Sara heard her sister give a
hmmph
of surprise at Flintrop
’
s support.
“
Never thought we
’
d agree on something.
”

Shaking her head, Sara tried pulling her arms away.

“
We can get it done without you.
”
Flintrop hooked his hands under her arms and pulled her up.
“
Come on.
”

She took a step and tottered again.
Flintrop caught her.
She didn
’
t have the stamina to resist as he swung her into his arms and carried her toward her tent.
She fought to block out the head-spinning motion.
“
Will we finish in time?
”

“
In time for what?
”

“
I want to finish by tonight.
”

“
Yeah, I think so.
What
’
s the hurry?
”

She felt him step up onto a scaffold, then down the other side.
“
I will be fine,
”
she said.
“
Give me ten minutes, and I
’
ll be back out there.
”

“
You
’
re your own worst enemy.
Did you have a reason for this deadline and the way you
’
re trying to kill yourself?
”

She forced one eye open, but closed it again when the motion of his walking made her dizzy.
She wanted to tell him she could get to her tent without help, but arguing took too much effort.

She
’
d been about to do something just before the collapse.
What was it?
Her head ached with trying to remember.
Her thoughts drifted.

“
You
’
re a lot more approachable when you
’
re half-asleep,
”
Flintrop murmured, bringing her awake again.

Lacking enough energy to glare at him, she settled for a long look of disgruntlement before closing her eyes again.

He pulled a blanket up over her, chuckling.
“
One of these days, you
’
re going to figure out I
’
m not half bad.
”

Several minutes passed, and sleep danced just within her grasp.
She forced conscious thought out of her mind, and reached hopefully for oblivion.
Just as she hovered on the threshold of rest, it slipped away from her as it always did.
Her body thrummed with the need to be awake, to be active, to
do something
.
She whimpered in desperation.

“
What
’
s wrong?
”

Her stomach turned over with the nausea of fighting to still her singing nerves.
In her turmoil, she forgot that the voice belonged to Flintrop.
She curled into a ball on her side.
Can
’
t sleep.
Can
’
t be awake.
Can
’
t function.
What
’
s wrong with me?
When had this started?

She saw a man
’
s shadowy face in her mind, dark-haired and blue-eyed.
With her thoughts roiling in the middle ground between sleep and wakefulness, she couldn
’
t remember who he was, except that she wanted wildly to go to him.
Safety.
“
Help,
”
she whispered.

The cot sank as someone sat beside her.
A hand stroked her hair.
“
I
’
m right here, Sara,
”
the voice soothed.
“
What is it?
”

The buzzing sensation rang in her ears, and she clamped her arms over her head, trying to squeeze it out.
“
Stop.
Please make it stop,
”
she begged the shadowy apparition.
“
Help me.
”

Whoever sat beside her gripped her shoulder.
“
Sara.
Come on, snap out of it.
”

His voice distracted her from the buzz surging through her body.
Was that him?
Shaking, she turned blindly toward the voice.

“
Flintrop, I
’
ve got her.
Go back to the dig,
”
she heard a new, female voice order.

Clarity swept though her.
She seized it, fearing it might slip away again.
“
Faith.
Jesus, Faith.
”

Flintrop stood up, dividing a look between her and her sister.
“
I
’
ll radio for a chopper.
She doesn
’
t have a fever, but she
’
s losing it, Faith.
She needs medical attention.
”

“
She needs me.
Just go back to the dig.
”

“Are you nuts?”

“
I
’
ve got it handled.
Go,
”
Faith demanded.

“Like hell.”

Sara cradled her aching skull.
“
Stop.
Please.
”
She teetered on the edge of the cot.
“
He
’
s not...
He was helping me.
I think.
”

Both of them turned to stare at her.

Faith recovered first.
“
Flintrop, if you want to help, clear the hearth.
Let me worry about my sister.
”