Brittany walked ahead of him, her blonde hair flowing down her back to her shapely hips. He shook his head. Superimposed over her form he could see her real body—the hulking legs and overly long arms. Not a pretty sight.
He glanced over his shoulder and into the dark mirror one final time. In the farthest part of the glass, he could see the Lady shuffling forward, one inch at a time. She stopped and turned her head toward him. He pulled back into the shadows, unwilling for her to see him even though he knew there was no way she could. He was, after all, viewing her through an enchanted mirror.
The Lady raised her hand in his direction. Her blistered fingers stayed raised for a moment before slowly falling back to her side.
Mordecai spun on his heel and followed Brittany. He had work to do and not much time to achieve his goal if he hoped to save his own skin.
Marko and Kellsie crouched behind some thick bushes just beyond the edge of the carnival grounds. The sun was up high in the sky. Marko had been watching the area for several hours. There were a few people stirring and the carnival was beginning to come alive. He could smell food coming from a large tent at the far end. That seemed to be where most of the people were heading.
He didn’t like it. It seemed too quiet. There were no guards in sight.
“Well.” Kellsie sat beside him, her impatience palpable. Not that he could blame her. This lack of activity, of action, was making him uneasy.
“It’s too easy. It has to be a trap.”
Kellsie released a pent-up breath. “Maybe it’s too easy because it’s just a movie set and these are just normal people.”
He turned and scowled at her. She frowned back at him, totally unrepentant. “I thought we’d gotten past that. You know this is real.”
“I know it’s real. I just wish it wasn’t.”
There really wasn’t much he could say to that. He wished for her sake that it wasn’t real, but for his own sake, he was glad to be free from the curse, even if it meant having to face Hades and battle for his very life and soul. He just wished he could protect Kellsie from having to be involved.
She’d been amazed once again when he’d sent the cloak away as easily as he’d brought it into existence. With the sun rising she’d no longer needed it and it was rather bulky. She needed her arms and legs free in case she needed to run or protect herself.
She sighed and rubbed at her eyes, leaving smudges of dirt on her cheeks. Her hair was a tangled mess even though she’d tried to fix it earlier. Her shirt was filthy. Her jeans were no better.
She was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever set his eyes on.
“What?” She scrubbed at her face but only managed to spread the dirt.
He reached out and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. “You’ve got some dirt here.”
“Oh.” She grabbed the end of her shirt and used it to clean her face. A slender swatch of skin was revealed when she exposed her belly. He’d seen it before. There wasn’t an inch of her he hadn’t seen, but it still had an immediate effect on him. His shaft swelled and his balls ached. He turned away, unable to watch any longer. If he wasn’t careful, Hades and his crew would ambush them while he was busy watching Kellsie.
She was a problem. She distracted him, turned his attention from the job at hand. He’d be better off leaving her to her own fate while he fought for his friends’ freedom. After all, he barely knew her.
But that was his logical mind speaking. Every cell in his body rebelled at such thoughts. His bear roared and lashed out at him in reprimand. He could try to justify it any way he wanted but it didn’t make it true. He knew Kellsie. Deep down on a level that defied all rational explanation, he knew she belonged to him, and he to her.
It was as simple and as complicated as that.
His mission was no longer about just staying alive and freeing his comrades and the Lady. It was about protecting Kellsie. And he was afraid that part of his mission had just taken top spot.
She touched his shoulder lightly. Such a simple touch, yet it rocked him to his core, shaking the foundations of his beliefs. Nothing was more important than protecting Kellsie. Nothing.
Marko squared his shoulders as resolve settled upon them. He could do this. He would do this. He would protect Kellsie at all costs.
Stay strong.
The words echoed through his brain but they weren’t his thoughts. He cocked his head to one side listening. He hadn’t heard that voice in thousands of years, but he recognized it. The Lady was calling to him. His heart pounded and he caught his breath, savoring the sound. It had been so long.
He glanced at Kellsie. She hadn’t heard a thing. Or if she had, she wasn’t going to say anything about it, any more than he was.
“My trailer is over there by itself.” She pointed out a small silver trailer. “We could sneak in and I could get some clean clothes. I can get my netbook too and my cellphone. Maybe we’ll be able to get some service and call for help.”
He could hear the hope in her voice. He didn’t want to dash her hopes about being able to contact anyone. Hades usually cut off all avenues of communication. That was the point of choosing isolated locations.
But they had to do something, and maybe his power would be able to bump up the signal enough for her to be able to contact Roric by email. He nodded. “After that, we’ll try to find the carousel.” He took one last look around before heading to the left. “Stay low and keep behind me.”
He thought she might have muttered something about stubborn males but he ignored her, focusing all his attention on their surroundings. Raising his face to the wind, he sniffed and sorted through all the smells. Human mingled with demon. So there were some actual humans in the mix. They had to be willing accomplices. Marko didn’t think Hades would do anything to attract undue attention, not with his end goal so close in sight. And kidnapping and possessing innocents would certainly do that.
With his ears searching for any unusual sounds, he led the way through the bush, not making a sound. Kellsie was much louder, even though she was doing her best to be quiet. She had to be exhausted and hungry. Certainly, she was cold and dirty and confused. Yet not a word of complaint crossed her lips. She shamed him with her courage.
He stopped and faced her. She stared up at him, confusion and concern on her face. “What?” she whispered.
Marko shook his head, unable to put into words what he felt at this moment. He wasn’t certain he quite understood it himself. All he knew was his heart swelled at the sight of her. He leaned down and touched his lips to hers, a gentle pressure that deepened slightly before he pulled away. “Be careful and keep watch. Don’t let your guard down for a moment,” he cautioned.
She nodded. Her fingers came up to touch her lips. When she realized what she was doing, she scowled and dropped her hand. He didn’t smile, not until he’d turned away and resumed creeping through the woods. He didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her, but there was something about simply being with Kellsie that lightened the burden pressing down on him.
When Marko was behind the trailer, he paused and listened once again. All was quiet in the surrounding area. Her trailer was wreathed in the shadows of several large trees, keeping the morning sun from penetrating. “Move as quickly and quietly as you can. Get changed but don’t try to shower. You don’t have enough time. I’ll keep watch.”
She nodded and slipped in front of him, hurrying toward the door of her trailer. He watched as she eased the door open and disappeared inside. All the curtains were pulled and, try as he might, he couldn’t see inside the trailer. It was all too easy to picture Kellsie hauling off her clothing. The image of her naked body was burned into his brain for eternity.