On Wicked Ground (Solsti Prophecy Book 4) (24 page)

He whisked her inside and hit the button for his floor. As soon as the doors thudded shut, he backed her against the smooth wall. Her arms went around his neck and she whimpered as he pressed close, his mouth hovering inches from hers.

“Caine.” She squirmed, trying to reach him. “You’re always backing me into a wall.”

He leaned a fraction closer. “Does it bother you?”

She shook her head, but that wasn’t enough. He traced the neckline of her shirt. “Tell me.”

“You...” her words were gulped as if she couldn’t get enough air, “can back me into a wall any time.”

“Pretty little thief,” he murmured as he lowered his head and took her mouth in a rough kiss. He was lost in the sweetness of her mouth and pinch of her short fingernails at his nape. Sweet and dangerous, criminal yet good-hearted…there were so many nuances to this female that he couldn’t wait to explore.

Her tongue twined with his and she kissed him like she needed him the way she needed oxygen. He groaned and dropped his hands to cup her breasts. So perfect. His cock throbbed behind his zipper. Raw, roaring need built in his blood, deafening all sounds except her cute little mewls. He rocked his hips into her—

She froze. He fought through the lust fog in his brain, trying to figure out what happened, when he realized the elevator door had opened to his floor and they had an audience.

Three of his fellow warriors stood staring. Scorpio and Aleksai, who let out a low wolf whistle, and Brenin from the Chicago group. Scorpio smirked. Brenin shook his head. “Busy morning?”

Alina’s cheeks flamed and she ducked her head.

“Shut it.” Caine growled at his comrades and grabbed Alina’s hand. He didn’t need to pull her—she was practically running away from the elevator and down his hallway.

“How embarrassing,” she muttered through clenched teeth.

Caine ran a hand through his hair. “They don’t care. They’re probably jealous. And it’s not like they haven’t seen, or been in the same situation themselves. Especially at our fertile time of year.”

She took his hand and to his surprise, she smiled, “Yeah, I guessed. I know our scents give us away, though I didn’t expect to get busted like that.”

“I’ll take the blame.” He kissed her hand. “And any punishment you deem necessary.”

“Deal.”

They reached his door and he swiftly unlocked it. She walked in ahead of him and stood in the middle of the room, waiting, as he shut the door and crossed to his dresser. His bowl of amulets sat alone—the only other items he placed there were his weapons, which he was wearing at the moment.

Shifting through the thumbnail sized orbs all on different chains, he picked one that would take them as close as he could get them, and one that would bring them back here. Only HQ and a few other locations were specifically spelled. The rest brought the Watchers to general areas, and from there they had to go on foot.

He turned back to Alina, pretty, flushed, and looking excited. “Ready, Boots?”

“Ready.” She moved toward him and melted against him, all lithe curves and intoxicating scent.

Gods, he could hold her all day. And with luck, maybe this day, he would. He spoke the words to the spell that activated the amulet, and in seconds, they were tumbling through a portal.

Alina closed her eyes and breathed Caine’s clean, woodsy scent as they hurtled to their destination, wherever it was. She was no stranger to portal travel, but she didn’t care to see the disorienting flashes of light that were part of it. Feeling weightless was unnerving, but Caine’s big body gave her a sexy, distracting focus.

The trip, as usual, lasted only about ten seconds. They landed on a hill covered in soft green grass. Caine had rotated as their trip ended so that he was beneath her and took the brunt of the fall. She knew she was small, but still…portals could drop you hard.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He grinned a sexy, lopsided smile that made her whole body tingle. “Never better.” He brought his hands up to cup her bottom. “We could just stay right here.”

“Where are we anyway?” She looked around at the hill they lay on, one of several gently rolling hills around them. The sun beat down hot on her back, and where her body was pressed to Caine’s, her skin was already sticky. “It’s humid here.”

“The Lakewood region.” His tone was casual as he studied her face.

Her jaw dropped. “Near your old home?” The region was aptly named for its many lakes, one of which was Lake Coriander.

“Yep. Last night when you said you’d never been here, and how much you liked my painting, I decided you needed to see it in person.” Dark brown eyes seemed a shade lighter in the sunlight, and they were soft with tenderness.

“Wow. Yes, I’ve always wanted to come here.” She blinked, trying to find the right words to thank him but show concern for the tragedy that had happened here. “Is it difficult for you to be here?”

He shook his head and massaged slow circles on her lower back. “No. I can’t unsee my memories, so physical distance doesn’t mean shit. The knowledge stays, no matter where I am.”

Gods, what this man had been through. She opened her mouth, but he laid a finger on her lips.

“I come here often. At least, when I can get away. Not just to Lake Coriander, but to all of the lakes. This area has happy memories too. And it’s fucking beautiful. I meant it when I said the painting doesn’t do it justice.”

She smiled down at him and trailed her fingers through his hair. “Thank you. Traveling for fun was never much of an option for me.”

“Then I’ve got a swimming hole to show you.” He sat up, pulling her with him.

“Is anyone else around?” She glanced around, mindful that he’d said
no suit required
, but only saw trees and hills.

“Not at this spot. We’ll have it all to ourselves.” He stood and helped her up.

Hand in hand, they walked down their hill toward a thick cluster of pine trees. Just before they reached the shady, needle-strewn floor, a two-headed blue jay screeched and flew over their heads.

Alina giggled. “I heard that on Earth, almost no animals have two heads. It’s really rare. Nicole said she almost passed out the first time she saw one of our blue jays.”

“I heard that too. About the animals there.” Caine shrugged. “I’ve only been there a few times, and there was no down time.”

Alina smiled, glad for some reason she couldn’t explain that he didn’t have down time. That meant no wandering the cities and bars for women who would no doubt fall at his feet. Not that it mattered to her. Much.

She had thought she moved quietly, but Caine moved with the innate stealth of a panther. His feet didn’t disturb the millions of needles beneath them. He managed to avoid every twig in their way, and she would’ve been happy just to watch him walk.

As they moved through the pines, the distinct bubbling of water reached her ears. “I hear water,” she murmured in a sing song voice.

“Almost there.” Excitement simmered in his voice and her heart swelled. He was giving her a glimpse of his childhood, when his world was light and carefree.

Her life, what she could remember of it, had never been light and carefree. She wasn’t sure she deserved this peek into his past, but she couldn’t resist it.

She sucked in a breath as the trees gave way to…open space. Ahead of them, the packed dirt stretched for fifteen feet and then ended. The trickling sounds increased to a steady rush. She shot a glance at Caine and walked to the edge, unsure what to expect. Peering over, she gasped again. “Oh my god, that’s a long way down!”

Okay, maybe it wasn’t that far, but it looked it from her vantage point. The ground stopped as if it had been cleaved in two, creating a sheer drop of about thirty feet. But at the bottom was a sparkling turquoise pool whose waters rippled gently with the promise of a lazy afternoon. The pool was shaped in a perfect circle and, thankfully, the scary cliff only banked up to part of it. The other sides were edged in sand and chalky flat boulders.

Caine chuckled next to her. “It’s not that far.”

She held up a hand. “Don’t tell me. You’ve jumped from up here a lot, I bet.”

“As many times as I could.” He grinned as her eyes widened. “It’s what boys do. Dare each other until someone finally jumps.”

“Is there another way to get there? You know, like can we just wade in?”

A mischievous glint danced in his eyes. “What’s the fun in that?”

She backed up a step. “No, I’m serious. I’m not jumping from here.”

He set his hands on his hips but stayed where he was. “Don’t have to, Boots, just look. You can see two of the other lakes from up here.” He pointed to the horizon. “Lake Trillium and Lake Saffron.”

Alina nodded. “They’re beautiful.” It was true, with the sun sparkling off the water. And to the left of both lakes stood a group of buildings. People walked among them as if it was a normal day. “Is that…”

“Yeah. The town of Lake Coriander. It’s been rebuilt. There’s a memorial in the center…citizens of the neighboring towns constructed a monument. They used one stone from each building that sustained damage. Well, not the wooden ones. Obviously there was nothing left of those.”

“What’s the monument of?” she asked softly.

“A bow and arrow carved in stone, surrounded by the seeds and leaves of the region’s crops. Also in stone.”

“Wow,” she replied. “A reminder of what happened, and also of what has always been constant. That sounds beautiful.”

“I’ll show it to you someday when we have more time. You sure you want the easy way down?” He took her hand and led her to one sloping side of the hill.

“Yes, thank you very much.” Not that she was averse to a challenging descent, but why do it if you had another option?

They found a worn foot path and in minutes were at the flat boulders. Caine yanked his T-shirt over his head, flashing those sexy abs that made her mouth water. Next, he removed his weapons and laid them on a rock. Pulling his boots off, he darted a glance at her. “Whatcha waiting for?”

“Just watching you,” she murmured. Alina could swim, though she had never skinny-dipped. That was one of those things she guessed you did with boys you liked, and she just hadn’t spent that much time goofing off like that.

“As hot as that sounds,” he undid his buckle and popped the buttons of his fly, “it’ll be better when you join me.”

“Um…” God, he was so damn sexy.

“Last one in gets dunked.” He shoved his jeans down over his lean hips.

“Dunked? Oh, you’re on.” She hated to lose a game or contest. And the idea of dunking him—her massive lethal Watcher—sounded way too fun to resist. She stripped out of her clothes as fast as she could, until she stood completely nude in the hot sun, only to find he hadn’t moved a muscle. He stood, staring at her, ready to pounce. His jeans hung below his hips, and his boxer briefs did nothing to hide his erection.

She licked her lips. “Looks like I’m gonna win.” She ran toward the water, darting between the last two large rocks and then her feet hit a thin strip of warm sand. Next she was plunging into cool water, but only made it in to her waist before strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

“You win this one, baby.” His voice at her ear was low and urgent and sexy at the same time. “But if losing means I get to watch you strip and run around naked? Fuck, I’ll lose every damn time.”

“Promise?” She tilted her head, then wiggled free and plunged beneath the surface. It had been years since she’d swum. Sebastian had taught her, but it was another recreational activity that they just never had time for.

She popped up in time to see Caine execute a flawless dive off one of the flat boulders. Every muscle arched and honed, yet relaxed as he slid into the water with the smallest of splashes. Seconds later, he broke the surface in front of her and pushed his hair out of his face.

“I just remembered the last time I swam.” She grinned as he pulled her into his arms.

“Yeah? Better have had a swimsuit on.”

She smacked his chest. “I had a whole wet suit on. It was for a job.”

He arched an eyebrow. “I’m all ears.”

“We had to break into the estate of a rich Lash demon criminal. He had so many layers of security that we decided the best way in was through his pool at night.”

His eyes twinkled. “Baby, I can’t wait to hear every story you have. They just keep getting better.”

“Gotta catch me first!” She dove under again, propelling herself down to darker, cooler depths.

He caught up to her, but swam beside her and pointed straight ahead. Following his lead, she moved through the water until they reached the rocky side of the pool. He pointed again, and she stared in wonder.

Set into the jagged wall, partially hidden by a short ledge, were clusters of small gems. There had to be dozens, and she reached out to run her fingers over their smooth edges. Reds, blues, and ambers glittered as they reflected even the smallest glimmer of light.

Needing to breathe, she made for the surface. He came with her, hands on her hips, moving her up faster than she could do on her own. They broke through together.

“Those are beautiful!” She fanned her arms through the water. “Does anyone know they’re there?”

“Doubt it.” He shook his head. “I found them years ago.”

“I won’t tell a soul.” She drew a finger across her lips.

“Deal, Boots.” His eyes tracked her finger. “Come here.”

She closed the small distance between them and threw her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his waist. The buoyant water made it easy for her to scoot up. The golden skin of his shoulders glistened with droplets that rolled down each of his muscles in a liquid caress. In the bright sun, she couldn’t see if his eyes gave off their telltale silver-black glow, but she didn’t need to. His hard shaft bumping her ass told her all she needed.

He took her mouth in a hungry kiss, like he had in the elevator. She met every velvety thrust of his tongue, needing to communicate how ready she was. But he was intent on exploring her today, his tongue working magic that only pushed her higher as she remembered how skillfully he’d licked between her legs.