“Not a chance in hell.” Marko raised his eyebrow at her choice of words, but Kellsie ignored him. She thought the analogy was an apt one.
“Shit.” That summed it up. “Come on back and I’ll work on setting something else up.” That was Maury, always looking ahead and not back.
“I may have an idea about what I want to do next. Don’t do anything until we talk.” Maybe it was time for her to get serious about writing a book. It would give her free time to be with Marko, especially if they had to travel.
“What project?” he demanded.
“You’re breaking up. I’ll talk to you when I get back.” She ended the call before he could ask her anything else. She didn’t want to get into her idea over the phone. Better for her to put something together and pitch the idea of a book to Maury in person.
Marko was staring at her phone, a look of awe on his face. She understood then just how new the world was to him. Intellectually, he knew it was a phone, but he’d never seen one at work before.
“Let’s see if I can get online.” She ignored the netbook in her satchel and hit one of the apps on her phone. She held her breath until they got a connection. “I really shouldn’t be able to get hooked up out here, not without a satellite or something.”
She glanced at Marko and he grinned. “I’m figuring out what my powers can do in this modern world now that I’m back to full strength.”
“Yeah, well manifest a shirt or something. I’m not taking you home half naked.” She ignored his chuckle as she began to type in her search. Having Marko around could be handy in more ways than she’d imagined.
She quickly brought up the website she’d looked at when she was researching the role. “This is it.”
She held out the screen to him and he lifted his finger and gently touched the tiger icon. “It has to be Roric. It’s the same name and the tiger is his other half.”
“I’ll email them. Hopefully by the time we get home we’ll have heard something.” She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to decide what to write just in case they were wrong. “How about this? If you’re the tiger who is searching for a bear please email me.”
“That works.” Marko studied the machine and the miniscule keyboard. “This is amazing. Add, in the service of the Lady.”
She nodded in approval. “Ready?”
“Yes.”
Kellsie hit the send button and the email disappeared from the screen. “That’s done.” She turned off her phone and shoved it into her tote bag. “Time to get moving.”
She slid into the driver’s seat, happy to be on her way home. “Get in. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”
Marko went around the front of the car and climbed into the passenger seat. He watched her put on her seatbelt and copied her actions. “I could drive.”
Kellsie laughed. “Good try, but I don’t think so. Not until you do a driver’s ed course and get your license.” She reached out and patted his hand. “Which I don’t think will take you long at all.”
She started Betsy and pulled away, leaving the clearing and the nightmare behind her.
Epilogue
Kellsie climbed out of the passenger side of the rental car. She’d been right. It hadn’t taken Marko long at all to get his driver’s license. He babied Betsy as much as she did, maybe more. He’d also insisted on driving the rental car from the airport.
She’d been surprised at how well he’d handled being on a plane. But as he told her, they were immortal. Being blown to bits and being beheaded were the only way for them to die. If they crashed they’d be hurt, but they would heal and walk away. That made a lot of sense and Kellsie found she relaxed and enjoyed the flight more than she normally would.
The last few weeks had been a blur of activity as Marko acclimated to the modern world. The man was a quick study, putting his knowledge into practice with ease. Truthfully, he knew more than she did about the world.
It shocked her how easily he soaked up information. Like a sponge, he was eager to learn it all. He excelled at anything he set his mind to and driving was just one of many things he’d mastered in a few short weeks.
The driver’s door slammed and she glanced over at him. Damn, the man looked awesome in the leather pants, but he was sexy as all get out in modern clothing. The brown T-shirt stretched across his massive shoulders and the faded blue jeans hugged every muscle and bulge to perfection.
“Everything okay?”
She smiled and walked toward him. He automatically wrapped his arm around her and pulled her snug against his body. She was very familiar with the position and, surprisingly enough, she liked it.
They’d talked a lot since they’d returned to her home in Los Angeles. The biggest decision Kellsie had made was to go ahead with her book. Maury was thrilled with the idea and already had several publishing houses interested. Over the past few weeks, she’d been making notes in between helping Marko adapt to modern living and corresponding with Aimee and Roric.
Now she was about to meet them and she was nervous.
Marko leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “It will be all right.” They were amazingly attuned to each other’s moods and thoughts, one of the offshoots of Marko sharing his immortality with her.
She was still trying to wrap her brain around that fact. She was immortal. She’d never look any older than she did today.
“I know,” she told him. And she did know it. They’d beaten the devil himself and lived to tell about it. Whatever came next, they could handle it. Together.
The door to the house opened and a slender woman with short black hair stepped outside. Behind her followed a big man with white hair with black stripes and a feral aura about him. That was definitely Roric.
Kellsie gave Marko a push. “Go on. It’s been a long time.”
The two men walked toward one another in almost a daze. Marko was larger but they were both impressive in size and stature. Her man moved first, snagging his large hand around Roric’s neck and pulling him into an embrace.
Tears pricked her eyes and Kellsie blinked them back. The connection between the two men was palpable. They were more than friends and fellow warriors. They were brothers. She tried not to think of those lost and those still imprisoned. She especially tried not to think about Mordecai who’d skewered her with his sword.
This was a happy moment.
The two men pounded each other on the back. Kellsie winced. That had to hurt, but neither of them showed as much as a twinge of pain. Of course, they were both immortal warriors.
“Hi, I’m Aimee.”
She’d emailed the woman almost every day over the past few weeks, discussing the problems associated with loving an ancient warrior. And they were legion. The guys were just a tad old-fashioned in how they acted sometimes. But that was okay. She could work around that.
She took the other woman’s hand. Aimee had soulful green eyes. A scar marred her left cheek but it in no way detracted from her beauty. “I’m so glad to meet you at last.” Kellsie took a cue from Marko and hugged the other woman.
When they parted, Aimee laughed. “I can’t believe I’m actually meeting Kellsie Morris. I’m such a big fan. I own all your movies and made Roric watch them too.”
How big a kick was that? Kellsie was thrilled and embarrassed at the same time. “Thanks. I’m glad you enjoy them.”
The men moved over beside them and Marko put his hand on the small of her back. It was a small move but smacked of possession. She didn’t mind. She liked the fact they belonged together. He was as much hers as she was his.
“Kellsie, this is Roric. My fellow warrior and friend.”
“I’m so glad to meet you, Roric,” she began. She didn’t get out any more words because the large man took her into his arms and hugged her until she could barely breathe.