Wicked Flames (Solsti Prophecy) (30 page)

“No, it’s just the juice. And the bread is fresh baked. It’s delicious.”

“Thanks.” Gin chomped down on a roll, the crust cracking and the soft doughy center melting on her tongue. “Mmm. I slept a whole day, huh?”

“Yep.” Ria twirled one of her curls around a finger. “So…”

“So?” Gin said around a mouthful of bread. Ria was right, it was delicious.

“I’d like to talk, if you’re ready. At least listen to what I have to say.”

Gin was about as deep into this weird turn her life had taken as she could get. May as well hear the rest. “Go ahead.”

“I didn’t transfer from University of Iowa.”

“Yeah, I kinda guessed that by now.” Gin took a sip of juice.

“That was a cover. I needed to be close to you. I’m your secret bodyguard.”

Gin coughed out a chunk of bread, then gagged on the crumbs stuck in her throat. “My
what?”

Ria shrugged and poured more juice into Gin’s glass. “Once your sisters came out of the woodwork, so to speak, the rest of the Lash demons knew where you were. And that you didn’t want to…participate. And since they knew about you, and your sisters had been to Torth and rumors started flying, our leader decided you needed a guard.”

Ria’s words weighed heavy on Gin’s heart. They’d hit it off so well.
Too well
. “So I was a job.”

“That’s how it started, yes. But we spent so much time together and I honestly had a lot of fun with you.” She propped her hand on the duvet near Gin’s knee. “I value your friendship. You’re an amazing woman. I mean, how many people want to go to remote areas, bringing basic necessities to others?” She shook her head. “Not many. And someone with your skills could go into private research and make a fortune. But that’s not your choice.”

Gin looked at the white sheets and picked up a tiny breadcrumb. “It was also my choice to run away from what I really am.”

“It was. But here we are.” Ria smiled. “I’m five hundred years old. I grew up hearing the stories of the Solsti and how they worked together to defeat Saykon, who was trying to control all the realms. I never, ever, dreamed they were real. Or that I’d meet one. Or that I’d be given the huge responsibility of guarding her. And most importantly, that I’d become friends with her.”

Gin could only stare at Ria in awe. Yesterday’s anger faded, replaced with the knowledge that her friend was a much stronger woman than she could have realized. And not just physically. If Ria had been living near her these last few months, what had she given up? The thought of Ria working in a strange place, facing potential danger all because of her, twisted Gin’s stomach. “If you were undercover with me, did you have to leave your family? Are you married?”

Ria threw her head back and laughed. “Hell no!” She shook her head. “No mate. And Mathias had access to my reports the whole time, so he knew I was fine and he could tell our parents.”

“Oh.” Gin breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you didn’t have to leave anyone special behind. I mean, you always had a lot of dates and stuff, so I assumed you were single.” She met her friend’s blue eyes. “I guess there’s a lot I don’t know about you.”

“You can ask me anything.” Ria winked. “And now, I can answer without leaving any details out.”

“Thanks, Ria,” Gin said softly. “I’m glad you’re my bodyguard.”

“Me too.” Ria pulled her into a hug.

Gin gave her friend a squeeze, then sat back and took another bite of bread. “What did you mean when you mentioned reports?”

“I was tasked with not only protecting you, but shadowing your every move, and sending weekly reports to Arawn. Yes, I bugged your phones and computer. And yeah, I listened in on that date you had with the physics geek back in September. I’m sorry. I had to.”

“Did you ever have to, um…catch any bad guys?”

Ria grinned smugly. “Campus was totally quiet on the supernatural front, until last week. I killed a Deserati while you and Mathias wrapped those presents.”

Gin’s jaw dropped. “You did? Where?”

“In an alley. He was stalking your car and I got a bad vibe.”

“Oh.” She swallowed hard. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, but there’s no need to thank me. Remember that coyote that attacked Muffy? Pfft.” Ria leaned forward. “That wasn’t a coyote. It was a hellhound. That little fuzzy slipper of a canine is lucky it got away.”

Hellhound? I don’t even want to know what that is.
Dread crept through her limbs. She had no idea how close danger had come. And what if her neighbor and not her dog had been injured? “Oh my God. I’ve put everyone in danger. I should’ve come home sooner.”

Ria inspected her nails, which Gin noticed were newly manicured in a gorgeous shade of turquoise. “Well, the important thing is that you’re safe. And you’ll take your own safety more seriously now. Yes?”

Gin nodded. “Where’d you find a place to get your nails done?”

“Right here! They mix a drop of water from the Sangre Sea into the polish, and it lasts forever.” Ria grinned. “Best mani ever. I could get used to this. I’ll take you to Fazia. She’s the one who did mine.”

Gin nodded. That sounded nice, as long as they were safe. “Do my sisters know I’m here?”

“They should. Mathias and I have both talked to HQ and got them caught up. From there, they can communicate with Rilan, the Elder in the Chicago house.”

“That’s good.” Gin didn’t feel ready to talk to them, but she didn’t want them to worry. She gulped the last of her juice. “So how does Mathias factor into all of this?”

Ria blew out a breath. “I’m gonna let him tell you that part.”

“Okay.” Gin found that weird, but whatever. “Is he really your brother?”

“Oh yeah. Older than me by twenty years.”

“Do you really have four other siblings, and your parents live here somewhere?”

“Yes and yes. So, obviously, I don’t have a sick mother in Mansfield, Illinois.”

“Part of your cover?”

“Yeah. My story for getting you out of town in an emergency.”

Gin shook her head. “That’s good. I totally bought that.”

“That was my goal.” Ria smiled. “Anything else I can answer for you?”

“Is Ria really your name?”

“It’s my nickname. My full name is Tirianna.”

“Wow, that’s beautiful.” Gin blinked. Such a lot to take in, and she still had more questions. “D’Mari called you a Watcher. What’s that?”

“Watchers are elite fighters among the Lash demons. Arawn gives us various jobs to maintain the balance of peace. Or anything else that may come up.” She paused. “I’m happy to fill in the details for you, but…Didn’t your sisters tell you any of this stuff?”

Gin pressed her lips into a line and looked up at the ceiling. “You know, I thought it was such a load of crap when they started using their powers. Then Nicole met Gunnar and all of a sudden it was demon this and demon that, and prophecy and evil and witches and blah-blah-blah. I didn’t want to hear it. I tuned a lot of it out.” She shoved a hand through her hair. “I regret it now.”

“Well, whatever the evil is, it’s not here yet. There’s still time. At least a little.”

“Right.” She looked down at her hands. Something evil was coming, but no one knew what or when. And that was why she and her sisters had been given their abilities. “Thanks again, for breakfast.”

“You’re welcome. Now get in the shower. I’ve never seen your hair look like such a hot mess. And you smell like a dusty old demon shack.”

Gin tried to hold back a giggle and couldn’t. “Okay, okay.” She peeled back the covers and scooted off the bed. “I’ll find you when I’m done.”

Ria stood and walked to the door. “Or find Mathias. I’m pretty sure he wants to talk to you.”

Gin’s shoulders sagged. “Oh, right.” She was torn between wanting to never see him again, telling him off, or making him grovel for every word out of his sinful mouth. Every smile. Every kiss…
Damn him
.

C
HAPTER
29

“G
ET
YOUR
KNEE
HIGHER
, M
ARCUS
, like this.” Mathias picked up the tiny hackey sack, dropped it toward his foot, and demonstrated his technique. The sun blazed high overhead, warming his back as he played with Tarsa youngsters in front of Gin’s cabin.

Thwap, thwap, thwap. The ball bounced off the inside of his foot, to the delight of the dozen young demons around him.

“Let me try,” one said, pushing closer.
 

“Get ready. I’ll pass it,” Mathias said.

The boy raised his foot. Mathias launched the tiny ball. It bounced off the child’s toe and rolled in the grass.

“Aw, man you make it look so easy.”

“You gotta anticipate the bounce. Your eyes can track. You’ve caught baby sharks in the bay that way, right?”

The boy nodded.

“So, you can do this, too. Watch.” Mathias picked it up again and bounced it. Five times, then ten. The kids started counting. Twenty, twenty five—

A squeak of hinges and a blast of cinnamon-scented air broke his concentration. The hackey sack rolled along the ground, the kids groaned—then whooped at his record number of bounces.

Mathias turned to see Gin in front of her bungalow.
Good gods
. It had been twenty-four hours since he’d seen her, and that was twenty-four damn hours too long. Sure, he’d kept tabs on her while she slept, and knew Ria had been here earlier. But seeing her beautiful face, breathing in her beguiling scent stirred a fierce craving, the depth of which he hadn’t even begun to realize.

Her radiance stole his breath. Gone were her jeans and long-sleeved sweater. Zinaya must have given her the clothes she now wore, which consisted of a clingy white tank top and tan pants. Her hair hung loose and damp around her shoulders, the red highlights glinting in the sun. She looked rested…yet wary. And that made him feel like a bastard.

Cinnamon and orange scents wrapped around him like a cloak, carried on the warm breeze. He didn’t know if she was still angry, but a primal pull deep in his body urged him closer. Made him want to ensure that no more days passed without being at her side.

“Hey.” He closed the distance between them.

“Hackey sack?” She folded her arms over her chest. “I played that on the playground in grade school. When I was like, seven.”

“You wanna show off your moves?” He gestured to the kids, who had started playing in a big circle.

“Not really.”

“You hungry?”

“Ria brought me some food. I’m good.” She bit her lip. “I guess we need to talk.”

“Yep. Walk with me. There’s a place I want to show you.”

She nodded and stepped next to him. He led her through the housing area, then onto a path leading into the jungle. Sunlight filtered down through the trees, creating patches of bright and dark that spilled across the plant life. Minutes passed as they walked in silence, and each ray of light that Gin stepped through made her look like an angel.

“Are there more of those stinging bushes?” she asked, eyeing a large-leafed fern.

“Yes. But I’ll point them out before you get close.”

“Where are we going?”

“Actually, we’re here.” He stepped to one side, pulling low-hanging branches with him, to give her a view of Sangre Bay.

She sucked in a breath and her eyes lit up in wonder. “I’ve never seen a black sand beach!” She walked out onto the sand and knelt in it, sifting the grains through her hands. “It’s warm,” she murmured, and sat down to remove her boots.

He sat next to her. “The climate here is like Earth’s rain forests.”

They sat in silence for a minute. He listened to the steady beat of her heart, as audible to him as the softly breaking waves.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She didn’t look at him, just stared at the sea.

He swallowed, sensing her hurt. And worse, her resigned disappointment. Like the realization had fully sunk in that she’d been deceived, chasing away her indignation and replacing it with a quest for answers. Sitting next to her, his body was a mix of conflict. All his senses vibrated, wanting to absorb every nuance of her words and actions. Yet his heart was leaden with all that had transpired. “It’s not exactly a good opening line. Hi, I’m a demon and I’d like to spend time with you.”

“At some point you should’ve told me.”

“And how would you have reacted?”

She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them and traced idle circles in the sand. “I’d have thought you were crazy. I may have believed you, or maybe not, but either way, I would’ve told you to get lost.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“Why did you come to campus? Ria had been with me for months. Why you and why now?”

He blew out a breath. In the last two days, she’d learned more than she probably ever wanted to know about Torth and its creatures. And that wasn’t the half of it. He didn’t want to hurt her any more than he already had, but his articulation had crashed like the waves in front of them. Fuck. He was used to getting information, not delivering it. “Things are…brewing.”

She snapped to face him. “Well, that’s nice and vague. And vague isn’t what I came to hear.”

“It’s complicat—”

“Oh, for the love of—” She tensed and pushed her hands into the sand, ready to get up.

His hand shot out, grasping her arm, and the touch sent a jolt of electricity through him. Gods, he missed touching her soft skin. Twenty-four hours not next to her? That wasn’t happening again. “Gin. I don’t have all the answers. No one does. I need you to hear me out.”

She dropped back down onto the sand and glared at him. “So talk. Because I’m hearing a whole lot of nothing.”

He rubbed a hand over his jaw, knowing she was right. “Things have been happening, mostly on Torth. Weird stuff. Creatures suddenly having power they never had before. Kidnappings.” He stared into the deep green of her eyes. “And, of course, the re-emergence of the Solsti.”

The glare vanished from her gaze, replaced with dread. She shuddered in the balmy air.

“Legend says the Solsti exist when there is a great evil. Stronger than anything else. Only the Solsti can match it, in terms of strength and power.”

She dropped her head forward. “I don’t want this.”