“This is crazy.”
Marko surged to his feet in a graceful motion. For someone his size the man could certainly move fast when he wanted to. He reached down and grabbed his pants and pulled them on. “If you won’t believe me then we will go back to the carnival and face Hades and his minions there.”
Feeling very naked and vulnerable now that Marko was half dressed, she reached out and snagged her top, tugging it on. She didn’t bother with a bra, wasn’t even quite sure where it was. The light penetrating the cave wasn’t bright enough for her to find it.
She wished she had water and a washcloth to get cleaned up. What she wouldn’t give for a bath or even a shower. She frowned as the reality of the situation hit. If this were a dream she’d be concentrating on the afterglow of her amazing orgasm, not fighting with Marko about the reality of demons and a curse. Nor would she have to worry about such things as showers and cleaning up after sex.
Oh God. This was real. All of it.
Kellsie rubbed her temples, trying to ignore the headache brewing there. Her emotions were all over the place. Fear and anger and sexual longing and hope all rolled up in a ball that pinged around inside her like some manic video game.
She squashed the hope. If Marko was the real deal then he was an immortal warrior. So not good dating material. Talk about a dysfunctional relationship. And she thought things had been bad with Jonathan. They’d be a million times worse with Marko if he were embroiled in a battle with the Lord of the Underworld.
She dragged her jeans off the pile of boughs, ignoring the bed where only moments ago she’d experienced such ecstasy. Now it was nothing but a pile of sticks and pine needles, which poked at her skin. Ignoring the mild discomfort, she tugged on her jeans. She might not be wearing underwear but she didn’t feel quite so vulnerable now that she was covered. She needed her socks and shoes.
Marko crouched beside her. She’d avoided looking at him for the past few minutes. She honestly didn’t know what to say or do. She was on the verge of tears and that just wouldn’t do. She was a woman of action, a doer. That’s what she had to keep reminding herself.
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he picked up her right foot and dusted off the sole. She grabbed his shoulders for support so she wouldn’t fall on her ass. When he was satisfied, he slipped her sock on and followed it with her sneaker. Then he did the left one. When he was done, he stood. Her sneakers were unlaced so she bent down and laced them while he watched. Neither of them spoke and the moment seemed to expand with the growing tension.
She still stubbornly refused to look at him. He was too good looking for her peace of mind, too male, too overwhelming to her senses, too everything. But he had other ideas and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger to tilt her face upward until their eyes met.
“We will be cautious. No one must see us or we will have to fight for our lives, our very souls.”
A shiver skated down her spine and goose bumps broke out on her arms beneath her long-sleeved shirt. She wished she had her jacket. A thought occurred to her. “If this is real then why aren’t Hades and his minions or demons or whatever they’re called already after us?”
A dark frown crossed Marko’s face. “I don’t know. And that worries me. The others who were released before me were never able to come back and tell us Hades’ plan of battle. It’s possible he wants me to get attached to you and forget all about trying to rescue my brothers-in-arms and the Lady.”
He didn’t look pleased at that thought. In fact, the way he was watching her, as if she might be a minion of the devil himself, was making her very uncomfortable.
She’d had sex with a hot guy. So what? Why did it have to be anything more than that? They’d go back to the movie set and go their own ways. Simple.
She snorted under her breath. Nothing about this situation was simple. Damn, she had the worst luck ever when it came to men. Marko was gorgeous, but he came with a lot of baggage.
She held up her hands in a placating manner. “Listen, bud. I don’t have any idea what Hades’ plans are. That’s even assuming I believe in him.”
“He’s very real. Make no mistake about that. Just as I am. Just as you are.”
Kellsie swallowed hard and tried to still the trembling in her knees. Marko suddenly looked very large and angry. She needed to distract him from his current train of thought. “Tell me about the others who came before you.”
The anger bled from his face to be replaced by sorrow. “Phoenix and Stavros are lost.” He raked his hand through his hair, his agitation growing with each passing second. Kellsie didn’t move, afraid to do anything that might provoke him to violence. Not that she really thought he’d hurt her. After all, so far he hadn’t, but she didn’t want to take a chance.
She paused and frowned when she realized she wasn’t really afraid of him. And how stupid was that? Now that the initial moment had passed, she felt quite comfortable again. Not only that, she wanted to console Marko, drive out the sorrow pressing down on him.
God, she really did need therapy.
“Mordecai has joined with Hades.”
“Mordecai?” Now this was traveling back into the realm of reality. “The same Mordecai I met on the movie set? The one who is supposed to play my leading man? The one who let me ride the carousel?” Or at least she thought he had. She was no longer certain what had really happened earlier.
Marko growled low in his chest. “He will not touch you.”
Okay. Her bear was feeling a tad possessive. It was silly how good that made her feel. She ignored it and forged onward. “Who else?”
“Roric, the white tiger. With the help of the female who released him, he fought Hades.” Marko shook his head. There was tension in the way he held his shoulders. “I only wish I knew where he was, what has become of him and if they are safe.”
This was getting crazier by the second. “Umm, I think I might be able to help with that.” Marko grabbed her shoulders and pulled her toward him. Kellsie went up on her toes and slapped her hands against his naked chest for balance.
“How?” he asked.
Oh, Marko was fierce, but it made him all the more attractive. And she was obviously losing her grip on reality if that was foremost on her mind. “I was doing some research for the role and Googled the Lady of the Beasts. I came across a website owned by one Aimee Horner and a guy named Roric. There was an icon for a white tiger, but before I could click on it I lost my Internet connection. There was an email address so we can contact them if I can get my netbook and a decent connection.”
Marko closed his eyes for a brief moment, when he opened them again he was all business. “A netbook. That is a computer?”
“Yes.” How could he not know?
As if reading her thoughts, he tapped the side of his skull. “I know many things, but it is not always easy to assimilate and understand them.”
She wasn’t touching that one. She was having a hard time coming to grips with the idea that this situation was very real. And if that was the case, she was well and truly screwed. Not only was the devil himself after her, she’d just had unprotected sex with an immortal warrior. She hadn’t cared about the unprotected sex when she thought it was only a dream.
“Can you get me pregnant?” she blurted. “Or give me any diseases?”
He stilled and canted his head to one side as if the thought had never occurred to him. He shook his head. “No. You are human and I am not. Only the gods can mate with humans, and we do not have human diseases.”
Great. Instead of the wave of relief she should be feeling, she was vaguely…disappointed. Which was crazy because she wasn’t ready to be a mother. Her career was up in the air and, hey, she might be dead by tomorrow.