Dark Siren (13 page)

With a relenting sigh, he shrugged out of his clothing and left it all on the ground beside his boots. Then he joined her in the water. “This is how all good horror movies begin… two naked people in the woods.”

She laughed. “We’re not naked and this isn’t the woods.”

“It’s close enough.”

“I promised to keep you safe.”

He found the statement quite charming. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

“I’ve won three state lifeguard competitions with the most saves and the fastest. The water is my second home. There’s probably a hidden set of gills on my body somewhere.”

Rhane smiled. “Well, I guess I’m in capable hands.”

“You are. Now let’s swim to the opposite shore.” She took off.

Her body cut through the water like a mammal designed to live there, leaving barely a disturbance in her wake. Rhane was a great swimmer, but it wasn’t easy to keep pace. Good thing he was content to swim behind her. Watching the rhythm of her graceful stroke was soothing. Toward the middle of the lake, she pulled up short and effortlessly treaded water until he reached her position. “Tell me something about you,” she said.

This was the part that worried him. He would have to be careful. “What would you like to know?”

“Everything. You’ve suddenly walked into my life and I know nothing about you. But it feels like I’ve met you before. It feels like you know me too.”

“Everything may be a lot for our first date. Let’s start off easy.”

“Okay. I’m listening.”

“I’m not a pizza boy.”

She laughed. “That much I knew. Tell me where you’re from.”

“I’ve lived everywhere. Though my family traces its lineage all the way back to a people who lived in plains shadowed by the Golden Mountains.”

“Wow. That’s near the Gobi, right?”

He nodded.

“Are your parents living?”

“I haven’t seen them in a long time. But I have not received word of their deaths.” Even to him, his voice sounded distant and grim. Observing her face, Rhane wondered if she had sensed his sadness. For a moment no one said anything, and he noticed the night had grown silent around them, except for the sound of lapping waves.

“My parents died in an accident,” she volunteered.

“How old were you?”

“Eight.” Her faced closed, probably shutting off painful memories. “Sometimes I can’t help thinking it was a good thing.”

What does she remember?

There were things he needed to know but not at the expense of causing her pain. “It’s alright. I won’t ask you anything else about them.”

She visibly relaxed. He could tell she was already considering her next move. “I want to show you something.”

Before he could reply, her head slid beneath the water and disappeared into wet darkness.

Chapter 17

Seconds ticked away and then minutes. Kalista did not resurface. But it wasn’t her that he worried about. He already knew she was capable of holding her breath for inhumanly long periods of time.

Wait until she figures out she can breathe underwater.

What worried Rhane was the unnatural silence that had descended upon the nearby forest. The night wasn’t supposed to be silent…especially to his heightened senses. He was relieved when Kalista bobbed back to the surface behind him. She wasn’t even gasping for air.

“How long was that?”

“Barely over seven minutes. Impressive.”

“Impressive?” She swam closer. “The world record is for six and a half minutes.”

“Then it’s very impressive.” He looked around, surveying the shore. Keeping his voice natural wasn’t too difficult despite the growing sense of unease he felt. It was, however, harder to maintain composure with her body pressed against his. An involuntary shiver rippled through him.

“You’re cold? That’s cute.”

“It’s not that at all.” Taking her face in both hands, he kissed her lips softly. She yielded to his touch as the heat built between them. Tiny ripples became miniature waves, shoved across the water by gusting wind. The smell accompanying it prompted him to action. He moved away from her. “We need to go, Kalista.”

“Stay with me.”

She kissed him again, slower and deeper. Her hands were busy beneath the water, tracing a line down his abs, teasing circles near his navel. She reached lower, and a groan escaped from his lips. “We
really
need to go,” he said.

“Why?” She held onto him as he began paddling back to the shore. All he needed was for her to hang on. He didn’t mind doing the rest.

“Let’s take this someplace else.”

“I like it here.”

He kept swimming, aiming to keep things light. “I don’t want a candiru parasite trespassing in my private property.”

“That’s only a risk if you’re peeing in the Amazon.”

“You’re smart. I like that.”

“You’re funny. I like that.”

“I’m also very, very hungry. You know guys have a one-track mind. Once we set our sights on something, it’s tunnel vision from there on out.” His efforts brought them to the edge of the lake. The scent he caught earlier had faded. But that didn’t diminish the feeling of urgency. “I’d invite you back to my house but it’s not suited to receive visitors right now.”

“Where do you live anyway?”

“Not far from here, in Hunter’s Valley.”

“I want to see it.”

“You will.” He waded into shallow water and held on firmly to her hand, guarding her from a loss of footing as they climbed up the bank.

“Studio apartment or town house?”

A shadowy figure darted about just beyond the tree line, robbing his attention briefly. Someone or something was watching them. “Huh?”

“Your home.”

He dragged his focus back to her. “Neither.” He scanned the trees again. Their visitor was gone. “So where are we eating?”

“I could go for some Chinese.”

“Good. I know the perfect spot.”

“You like Chinese?”

“It should have its own food pyramid.” He grabbed one of the towels she had packed and tossed it to her.

“Nice butt,” she said.

He glanced up from drying off. Taking his time, he let his eyes sweep over her body in one lengthy perusal. “Nice everything.”

#

The Wok and Roll was a hole-in-the-wall cross between authentic Chinese fine dining and an all-American burger and fry joint. Blue and white painted Koi fish swam in calm jade waters beneath the falling cherry blossoms of a bigger than life mural. Dominating the other wall was a portrait of Elvis performing “Jailhouse Rock” live. Besides that divergent tribute, the rest of the décor was of the traditional orient. Bamboo shoots in red vases accented aged but beautiful silk screens serving as privacy dividers. Each kang table was adorned with its own miniature Zen garden and paper lantern. Plush, tan pillows were situated on the floor for seating. Soft light emitting from the lanterns coupled with the worn, cozy pillows and made the restaurant a surprisingly intimate setting.

Kali sat across from Rhane. He lounged comfortably with his longs legs stretched out before him. His green eyes glittered in the flickering light, as if possessed by some alien fire. She avoided gazing into them too long for fear of being mesmerized.

Rhane didn’t seem to mind the silence. Kali needed to fill it. “I didn’t take you to be the indecisive type. Why did you change your order?” Whenever he smiled, a single dimple appeared. She hadn’t noticed before.

“Yeah, I was going for the sushi but then I thought I might get to kiss you again later.”

“And you think eel will be more of a turn-on?”

He nodded with a suggestive wink. “It’s fried and tastes like chicken.” The food came and he folded his legs, sidling closer to the low table. “So what do you think?”

Kali looked up from her dinner of braised mushrooms and bamboo shoots. “About you or the restaurant?”

“The latter. I already have a good idea of what the lady thinks of me.”

The easy confidence he possessed was so appealing, Kali couldn’t resist challenging it. “And what would that be?”

Instead of replying, he abandoned his chopsticks and braced both hands against the table. When he leaned into Kali’s space, an aura of suppressed energy came with him. The fork slipped from her hand as she fell into his presence. Smoldering black in the glow of the lanterns, his eyes became two portals tunneling down into her soul. His face hovered less than an inch from her lips, the air magnetized with yearning of delayed contact. She longed to take him, to possess all that strength and drink deeply.

The sensation of his breath against her skin was electric. “She thinks the same of me that I think of her.”

“And what do you think of her?” she whispered.

“I think she’s the most fascinating creature I’ve ever met.” He took her lips gently, briefly, and then returned to his seat.

After a full minute, her heart rate powered down to normal. “Are you like this with all your women?”

“There is only you, Kalista.”

It was strange, the way he’d worded the reply. Kali prodded him further. “Surely you’ve dated other women. I’ve kissed well over a dozen frogs in search of a prince. And no offense, but you come off as way more worldly than I. On your looks alone you could have your pick.” She waved her hand. “Never mind the charm.”

He selected another morsel of eel and swallowed before answering. “There was one other before you.”

“Only one?” Kali found that impossible to accept and promptly told him so. “It must have been serious. Did she break your heart?”

“No. I broke hers.” The words were spoken without a hint of inflection, making his feelings about the matter indiscernible. Rhane’s attention shifted to above her shoulder. “I need to use the men’s room,” he said abruptly. “I’ll be back.” He stood and left the table. Her eyes followed him until he’d passed into a hallway dimly lit by more lanterns.

A few minutes later, Rhane had not returned. The two glasses of ice water she’d sipped throughout dinner began to sing for liberation. Leaving the comfort of the pillows, she went in the same direction Rhane had gone to search for the ladies’ room. The hallway was much longer than it appeared to be from the main dining area. After the first twist, she spied two transparent doors leading into the kitchen. Kali checked the door directly across the hall but found only storage. Two turns later, the passage continued. The restaurant was much bigger than Kali had thought.

The further she walked, the less and less light there was. As Kali was beginning to accept that she must have passed the restroom, she heard voices. Curiosity drew her closer. She pressed her ear to the door and listened. Three men were speaking rapidly in a foreign language she assumed was Chinese because they were, after all, in a Chinese restaurant. She hoped one of them could tell her where the bathroom was. With a timid push, she nudged the door ajar and received the biggest shock of the night.

Rhane and another man sat in a conference room. A huge, expensive looking table took up most of the space and was surrounded by at least a dozen executive chairs. On the wall immediately behind the table was a giant screen. The ten-foot head of a man of East Asian descent filled it. Aside from an unfortunately patterned growth of facial hair, there was nothing memorable about him. Attending the meeting via satellite, the man was calmly listening to the exchange between Rhane and the other guy.

She couldn’t understand any of the words, but the wild gestures of the speaker communicated anger. Rhane didn’t look too happy either. The man onscreen interceded to calm the escalating situation. With a begrudging glare, the angry man pulled something from his pocket. Kali’s view of it was obstructed by the table. The angry man muttered something else and stopped. Too late, she realized everyone in the room had grown quiet. Onscreen, a large pair of eyes stared heavily in her direction. Kali began backing toward the door. The angry man turned to look at her. Rhane stood up from the table, but his eyes remained on the man in the satellite image. It was time make herself scarce.

Kali retreated into the shadows. Returning to the main dining room, she found the bathroom easily. It was located not even fifteen feet from where the hall initially began. Kali wondered how she had missed it the first time.

Rhane was already at the table when Kali got there. He smiled as she approached.

“Hi,” she greeted him awkwardly.

“Hi.”

He said nothing else, so she sat down. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she blurted, “So you speak Chinese?”

Again, he smiled. “It’s an occupational hazard.” His eyes slid devilishly toward two staff members standing close by in animated conversation. The girl glanced at Rhane and Kali several times while gesturing. “Haven’t you ever wondered what they’re saying about you?”

She laughed. Her tension melted away. The earlier intrusion wasn’t going to be a big deal. “Doesn’t everyone?”

He turned an ear to the pair but kept both eyes on Kali. “She thinks you’re gorgeous. She also thinks we make a very cute couple.” He paused, listening.