Kellsie took the opportunity to duck behind some bushes and take care of business. When that was done, she went back to the river and had another drink. Her hair was in tangles but she had a brush in her bag. Pulling her tote bag to her side, she opened it and rummaged around until she found what she was looking for.
She undid her braid and worked the brush through her hair. It didn’t take her long to deal with the tangles and quickly braid the mass once again. As much as she wanted to leave her hair down, she knew it was more efficient to have it out of the way in case they had to run again.
Her fingers touched her phone when she was returning the brush. Curious, she dragged it out and turned it on. No service. Not surprising in these mountains. Sighing, she tucked her phone away.
The air was growing colder and a mist was moving in. She hoped it didn’t rain. Shivering, she pulled the cloak around her. It was warm and soft and reminded her of Marko.
A splash caught her attention. It was all too easy to imagine him naked, sluicing water over his broad chest and huge arms. The tiny rivers of water would roll down his rock-hard abs to his equally hard cock. Kellsie groaned as a blast of heat shot through her. She was thirsty again and wouldn’t mind licking the water from Marko’s warm, slightly salty skin.
A branch rustled just off to her left and she jumped to her feet. It was also all too easy to imagine demons lurking in the trees behind her. She squinted to try to see what might be hiding in the woods. It was probably a bird or a squirrel or something. But there were also larger, more dangerous predators in the area, not just demons.
She heard the sound again and was just about ready to scream for Marko when she heard him coming back. Relief struck her when he came back into view. He was her lifeline in all this madness. The one thing she could count on.
Which wasn’t right. She had to depend on herself. Not anyone else.
Straightening her shoulders, she grabbed her tote bag, her damp shirt and the short sword. “Where to next?”
Marko frowned at her but didn’t say anything about her abrupt behavior. He pointed upward. “There’s a cave about fifty yards that way.”
She was exhausted but she could do this. The thought of getting to rest, even if it was just for a while, gave her the boost of adrenaline she needed. Marko’s large hand rested at the base of her spine, guiding her, helping her up the steep hill. She knew he’d have carried her if she’d asked him, but she didn’t want to weigh him down in case he needed to fight.
Finally, the cave came into view. It was deep and dark. She stopped and stared at the opening. “You’re sure it’s safe?”
A soft smile crossed his face. “Absolutely. There’s nothing in there to harm you.”
She took a step and stopped again, nibbling on her bottom lip. “What about bats?” She’d done a movie about eight years ago—The Killer Bats of Boston—and had hated the creatures ever since.
He shook his head and the corners of his mouth twitched. “No bats or spiders or mice either.”
She knew she was being silly considering they were running from demons, but she didn’t care.
“It’s safe. I promise you.” His dark chocolate eyes gleamed with sincerity.
Kellsie gave him a nod, took a deep breath and walked forward, stopping abruptly when it got too dark for her to see. Marko went past her and she could hear him walking around. “It’s not deep, only about thirty feet or so.”
Kellsie could just barely make out his form as he came toward her. When her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she moved farther inward. The ground was hard but there didn’t seem to be too many rocks. That was good.
Not that it mattered. She was so tired she could rest anywhere.
She set her bag down to the floor, spread her damp shirt out over a rock and propped her sword against the wall. She eased down and leaned her back against the cool wall.
Marko sat beside her. God, she could feel the heat radiating from his body. The man was like a blast furnace and she longed to wrap herself in his heat. She didn’t object when he lay down and pulled her down with him. He urged her into his arms and she went, snuggling her head on his chest.
“Rest. I’ll watch over you.”
Kellsie closed her eyes and let the steady beat of his heart soothe her.
She had no idea how much time had gone by when she woke, startled by the darkness. It took her a moment to remember where she was and who she was with. She was draped over Marko, her breasts pillowed on his chest, her pelvis pressing against something very hard and hot.
His arm was around her waist, keeping hold of her even as he slept. He lay on the hard ground while she used him for a mattress. She was warm. No, she was hot. The air around her was slightly damp and earthy, but blended with it was the scent of Marko.
Her jeans rode up, the seam of the crotch pressing against her core, against her clit. She was so aroused it wouldn’t take much to push her over the edge. She wanted to move, to adjust her pants so they weren’t pressing quite so hard against her sex. But she didn’t want to disturb Marko.
Her hand rested on his chest and she could feel the steady beat of his heart against her palm. He was so strong, so solid. Dependable. Honorable.
Kellsie felt safe and secure, which was a fallacy. There was nowhere safe from Hades. She knew he was playing games with them, that he probably knew where they were right this very moment.
She shivered, snuggling closer to Marko. She didn’t want to think about the dark god nor what he wanted from them. Time enough to deal with him when she had to.
The air was cool but she was warm. The combination of Marko and the lined cloak were better than a featherbed with a goose-down duvet. She rubbed her nose against his bare chest, inhaling his musky, masculine scent as the hair on his chest tickled her skin.
“You’re awake.” His chest rumbled as he spoke. His voice was so deep, so rough. She shivered again, but it wasn’t because she was cold or scared. It was pure arousal.
His erection pulsed and flexed beneath her, prodding her stomach, reminding her it was there. As if she could manage not to notice. Impossible. It was all she could think about.
As inappropriate as it was given the situation, she wanted Marko. She’d been aroused earlier, but exhausted. She was still tired, but not that tired.
“How long did we sleep?” Her voice was sleep-roughened and husky.
He brushed several tendrils of hair away from her face. The gesture was so tender and unexpected from a man of his size. But he was always that way with her. Had been from the moment they’d met.
Had that been less than twenty-four hours ago? It seemed such a short time, yet it was a lifetime.
“Not long. A couple of hours.” He peered toward the entrance. “It’s getting dark.”
Kellsie didn’t want to think about what would happen when nightfall came. All hell would soon break loose. Literally.
She rubbed her face against his chest. “Tell me about your life before you were cursed.” She longed to know everything about him.
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “The goddess created us. We protected her, wandered the earth, ate and lived together.”
“But what did you do for fun?”
He frowned at her. “Fun? We did what we were created to do. We are warriors.”
And how sad was that. The fact that all he thought about was duty was telling. She longed to show him the wonders of the world firsthand and make him laugh. “Did you ever settle down in one spot?”