“I cannot do that, Kellsie Morris. You belong to me now. Are mine to protect.”
That shot things to the creepy level fast. What if he had nothing to do with the movie? What if he’d abducted her? Maybe the entire carousel ride was nothing more than a dream brought on by something he’d drugged her with. Wouldn’t he have had to drug her to get her away from the set?
“I don’t belong to anyone, buddy.” She channeled her anger rather than give into the fear nipping at her.
He sighed so hard he ruffled the hair on the top of her head. “You may not admit it, but you are mine.” Lips, soft as silk, skated over the curve of her neck.
Her nerve endings tingled and she struggled not to moan. She was angry with him, she reminded herself. But her body didn’t care, reacting to him with just barely a touch. She was suddenly thankful he was wearing pants. She didn’t want to think about what might happen if he wasn’t. Obviously, she couldn’t trust herself around this stranger.
“Why would you even think such a thing?” If she could get him talking maybe she could figure out this crazy situation and get herself out of it.
He dipped his fingers beneath the collar of her shirt. Before she could protest, he caught the leather thong around her neck and tugged the bear claw into view. “You are one with the bear.”
“Great. Did that old guy put you up to this?” She knew she should never have accepted the necklace from the Native American guy at the restaurant. As life had taught her, nothing was free. There was always payment to be made for everything, even something that was supposed to be a gift.
She almost snorted. Gift, her ass. This was what she got for listening with her heart and not her head. Trouble.
“No one put me up to this.” She could almost hear the frown in his tone. “This is bigger than both of us. You have set me free from my imprisonment. It is now my job to protect you and keep us both safe until the turn of one day.” He paused as if considering something else. “I must also see if I can release my friends from captivity.”
Kellsie was totally lost. Obviously, this guy was some kind of nut job. Free him. How in the name of God had she freed him? And from what?
What to do? Keep him calm. Keep him talking.
Right. Easier said than done when she was close to panicking. She was trapped in the woods with a crazy man who thought she’d freed him from…well, she wasn’t quite sure where. If she followed his logic, then he owed her. Maybe she could use that.
Putting all her acting skills to the test, she patted his arm in what she hoped was a soothing manner. “How about you let me go and we talk about this? Whatever is wrong with your friends, I’m sure we can help them.”
He eased his grip and she resisted the urge to shout in victory. She moved away from him, taking it slow and easy. In a seemingly casual maneuver, she seated herself closer to the entrance of the cave. She’d make a run for it if the opportunity presented itself. When the opportunity presented itself, she corrected. She had to think positive.
“You know about the curse? The prophecy?” He moved closer to her, as if unwilling to have her too far away from him.
Damn. She had no idea what to say or do. She didn’t want to set him off. “Why don’t you refresh my memory?”
She saw him nod. A swath of the light from the moon cut across his body as it angled toward the cave opening. She could see his face from the nose down, as well as part of his magnificent chest. It was sculpted with bands of muscle stretched tight across it.
Focus, she reminded herself.
“There were seven of us,” he began. “All warriors, all in the service of the Lady of the Beasts. We lived simply. The Lady did not crave power as many of the gods do.”
Kellsie’s brows snapped together as he began the familiar tale. It was from the damn script. “Stop right there.” She glared at him. Not that it had much effect. After all, he probably couldn’t see much of her face.
“You were imprisoned in your animal form and kept by Hades and I freed you.” That much she’d read. What happened next was a mystery.
“Yes.” He raised his hand and cupped her jaw. Actually, he covered half of the side of her face. Man, his hands were big.
She frowned. Why was that familiar? Why did it feel like she knew his touch?
“Now Hades and his minions have twenty-four hours to either turn me to his side or kill me and steal my soul.” He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “The fact that you released me from captivity means that now he wants you as well.”
Kellsie jumped to her feet as anger bubbled up inside her. This was obviously the actor playing the warrior in the film. He was probably some kind of crazy method actor who wanted to get into character. She didn’t mind how other actors got into a role. What she didn’t like was being dragged into his little fantasy without her permission.
“Look, bud. I don’t care how you prepare for a movie. What I don’t like is being drugged and dragged into the damn wilderness. You need to be out here to prepare, that’s your business. I want to go back to my trailer and get a good night’s sleep before filming starts tomorrow.” Just think about the money, she reminded herself. She’d worked with crazy and difficult people before. She could do this.
She spun on her heel and stomped to the cave opening. The moon was practically a spotlight, which was good considering she didn’t have a flashlight. The lights from the movie set sparkled in the distance. It was probably a mile hike. Maybe more. Distance was deceptive out here with no known landmarks to guide her. How the hell had Marko gotten her here? And that was the character’s name, not his.
There was no sound behind her, no warning, but his arm suddenly banded around her midsection and he pulled her back against his much larger body. For a big man he moved soundlessly.
She tilted her head back and immediately wished she hadn’t. Damn, he was even bigger than she thought. He must be at least six and a half feet, if not a bit taller. And broad. His wide shoulders blocked the entire entrance of the cave and it was more than three feet across.
But it was his face that left her momentarily speechless. His cheekbones were chiseled, his jaw broad and firm. His eyes were dark. Black or brown? It was impossible to tell in this light, but she was voting for brown. Dark hair hung loose around his shoulders. It was dark in some spots, lighter in others. His lips were firm and enticing. His features were rough, but when all put together the way they were, they were handsome if you liked that kind of look.
Which apparently she did if her body’s reaction was anything to go by. Her nipples were tightly puckered and her sex clenched. Oh yeah. He hit her hottie meter in all the right places. She’d never gone for the pretty-boy type, except for Jon, and look where that had gotten her.
Still, this was no time to give in to her libido. Just because her sex drive had decided to wake up didn’t mean she couldn’t ignore it. It wasn’t easy, but she managed to ignore the not-so-subtle message her body was broadcasting—jump him.
The longer she studied him the more familiar he seemed. Had she seen some of his previous work? She certainly hadn’t met him before. He wasn’t a man a woman would forget. She couldn’t place him but knew she would eventually. She had a good memory for faces. And if it didn’t come to her, she could always check him out online. His acting credits would be there.
“You do not believe me.” His voice jerked her back to reality. He sounded disappointed again and it was starting to make her feel guilty. Which wasn’t fair. She wasn’t the crazy one here. He was.
“What’s to believe? You’re really an immortal warrior, and a shapeshifting one at that. So what are you? No, let me guess. A bear.” It was obvious now that she thought about it. There was a bear on the carousel, if she’d really seen the thing and hadn’t just dreamed it. Now she was confusing herself.