The Forbidden Trilogy (79 page)

Luke bowed. "Thank you." He punched Lucy lightly.
"See? I told you we should have started a band."

"Was that before or after we started going on
assignments?" asked Lucy in a sarcastic but playful manner.

Mr. K clapped with his branches. "Impressive! Luke, now
I see why you kept taking those music courses instead of art. You've actually
got some talent, young man."

"Thanks, Mr. K, I appreciate it. Now, who wants to have
some fun?"

Hunter and Lucy raised their hands. Mr. K raised a limb.

Luke rubbed his hands together and grinned devilishly.
"Perfect. Mr. K, would you please?"

"Certainly."

Mr. K's branches moved away, revealing the lake. As Luke
started undressing, leaving only his boxer shorts on, one of the branches came
down in front of him.

"What are you doing?" asked Lucy.

"Just watch. Mr. K and I worked this out late last
night." The branch moved itself into Luke's hands. He grabbed it and held
on tight.

Mr. K gave it a tug. "Ready?"

Luke nodded. "Ready."

"Here we go." Mr. K yanked on the branch and swung
it out over the lake. He spun it back and forth, and circled it around, pulling
Luke through the air like Tarzan. Luke let go with a loud "Yahoo!"
and did a cannon ball into the water.

He surfaced a few moments later, laughing. "Woo! That
was awesome. Who's next?"

Lucy jumped up. "Me! I'm going."

Hunter grabbed her by her waste and pulled her toward him.
"No way. I am." They laughed and wrestled their way to the tree, but
Lucy got to the branch first. She looked down at her clothes and wondered how
much she should take off. She shrugged and pulled off her pants.

Luke splashed her. "Lucy, keep your clothes on!"

"You're a hypocrite. I'm not going in there with all my
clothes. Besides, how is this any different than a bikini? Huh?" She
kicked her pants to the side, deliberately avoiding Hunter's gaze, and left her
tank top on. She grabbed the vine, and Mr. K tossed her into the lake.

Hunter undressed to his boxers and followed.

They spent the rest of the morning diving, splashing and
swimming in the lake, and taking turns on Mr. K's branches. In the early
afternoon, Lucy crawled out of the water while Hunter and Luke wrestled and
tried to drown each other.

She relaxed on a rock, letting the sun warm her body. A
sound behind her caught her attention. She gasped. The giant beetle that had
chased them into the valley stood there, its green shell glittering in the sun.
Lucy stayed calm, taking slow, deep breaths and using her meditation techniques
to suppress her panic. The bug looked at her, and they held each other's stare.

Does it remember me?
She held her breath, waiting for
it to stampede her, but it never came. The beetle broke eye contact and walked
away.

Her shoulders slumped in relief, and a while later the boys
emerged from the lake to dry off. They thanked Mr. K and walked back to their
campfire. Lucy tried very hard not to stare at Hunter's six-pack abs and ripped
body. He wasn't huge and bulky, like a professional weight lifter. His muscles
were all lean and defined, and oh-so-sexy. She caught him checking her out a
few times too, and she tried to hide her blush.

After they'd dried out by the fire, Hunter opened his pack
to get a change of clothes.

Luke gestured to the sword sticking out of the pack's main
pocket. "So how'd you get that sword?"

Hunter froze, and Lucy wondered what kind of misdirecting
excuse he'd give them this time.

Instead, Hunter pulled out the sword and stared at it.
"I inherited it from my father."

Lucy hadn't been expecting a truthful answer.
So
is
the sword some IPI tech?
"Was your father an agent?"

He shook his head. "No, I think he helped them out
sometimes though, like a consultant. He knew a lot about paranormals, and spent
considerable time researching what he didn't know. Honestly, he didn't open up
much about this stuff. Didn't want to get me involved, I guess."

"But you got involved anyway?"
Obviously
.

"I wanted to help people. IPI gave me a chance. Agent
Simmons recruited me, trained me, sent me out into the field."

Luke studied the sword in Hunter's hand. "What happened
to your father?"

Lucy wanted to know too, but she didn't want to push him too
hard.

Hunter didn't speak for several moments. "He's gone. A
serial killer stabbed him."

Tears sprang into Lucy's eyes. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry."
She reached over and placed her hand on his, wanting to hug him and comfort
him, but the timing wasn't right.

Hunter squeezed her hand and continued. "I inherited my
father's stuff, after.... Most of it is locked up in storage somewhere, but I
kept this sword."

Even Luke looked sympathetic. "Sorry, bro, I didn't
know."

"It's fine. It happened a long time ago." He
passed the sword to Luke. "Want to check it out?"

Luke's eyes lit up and he took the sword. "I thought it
was bigger."

Hunter and Lucy both laughed, and Luke raised an eyebrow.
"Am I missing something here?"

Lucy showed her brother how to make it bigger.
"Cool!" He stood and did some mock sword play with it.

They enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, and as the sun set,
Luke brought out one more birthday treat: a bottle of Rum. He took a swig and
offered it to Lucy.

She started to shake her head, then paused.
What the
hell!
She grabbed the bottle and took a swallow, then passed it to Hunter.

Luke enjoyed the bulk of the bottle, and as the fire started
to die out, so did Luke. He switched his phone on briefly for the time.
"Birthday's over, Luce. But it was fun, right?"

A false confidence overlaid the desperate plea she could
hear in his voice. He seemed so vulnerable in that moment.

"It was the best birthday ever, Bro. You did an awesome
job." She helped him stand and walked him to his sleeping pad, where he
collapsed, a silly grin on his face.

"I love you, Luke. Thanks for making this day so
perfect."

He reached for her as she stood to leave. "Luce, you're
my best friend, you know that? I'm sorry I made you handle so much alone since
we got here. I promise I'll do better."

She kissed his head. "It's okay. We always have each
other's back."

Hunter stood by the fire, the flames giving him a very wild
look.

Lucy's heart lurched as she approached, and something lower
burned in her.

He reached for her hand. "Now that your brother's
asleep, I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?"

"Yes. You and I are going on a date."

"A real date? Where are we going, to the other side of
the fire pit?"

He tweaked her nose. "Funny." He pulled her away
from the fire. "Follow me."

They neared Mr. K's tree, and his branches moved aside to
reveal a fairly large raft.

Hunter bowed. "Lady, your chariot awaits."

"Wow, Hunter, this is impressive." She walked up
to examine it. "When did you make this?"

"During my lonely late nights. Your birthday needed
something special."

"No. You couldn't have known about my birthday."

"Luke knew. The tree read his mind, and then told
me."

Some more branches moved aside, revealing Mr. K in the back.
His voice rumbled out to them. "You're welcome."

Lucy grinned from ear to ear. She'd never been on a real
date before, and this one was extra special. How many girls had their first
date on a handmade raft in a magical valley with a super-hot secret agent?

"After you, m'lady." Hunter helped Lucy onto the
raft and then joined her. It tilted a few times, but steadied itself as he
paddled them off the bank and into the water.

The warm evening air pulsed with the scent of honey and
roses. Fireflies filled the sky with their bright twinkling and lit the
couple's way as they floated on the cool water strewn with flowers. The
crescent moon completed the picture, and Lucy wished this moment could last
forever. She dipped her hand in the water, and something glowed along the trail
left by her fingers. The beauty and magic of the valley made it easy to forget
the evil that had facilitated its creation. They floated along, and nothing
else existed but her and Hunter and the magnificence around them.

He cupped her face and kissed her deeply, and the pressure
of his lips and feel of his hands sent her heart fluttering like a hummingbird.
He pulled away and reached for his backpack. "I have something else for
you."

"You've already given me so much. What more could you
have?"

He pulled out a wreath of star flowers. At night, they
glittered as though sprinkled with pixie dust. She bent her head so he could
place it on the crown of her head.

"Thank you. This is beautiful."

"And now for your real present."

She looked around and laughed. "Isn't all this real?
Although I could almost believe I'm dreaming all of it."

"Nope. You deserve so much more than a raft and a few
flowers. But since you'll have to wait until we complete our mission and get
back to civilization to get a proper gift, I have one more thing for you."

"Okay, what's that?"

"Answers. For tonight only, I'll answer any question
you have for me as honestly as I can. Unless the answer would break any
confidentiality agreements I'm bound by."

Wow!
She never expected this. "Fair
enough." She thought about it. Before, a dozen questions would have leaped
from her tongue, but the power of the night had done strange things to her.
"Okay, first question. What is the exact nature of your para-powers?"

"That one's easy. I'm extra agile and extra strong.
Basically, most of my senses and abilities are heightened."

"Oh! Show me!"

Hunter shook his head. "Nope. You've seen enough, I
think."

Without warning, Lucy giggled and pushed against him, trying
to knock him into the water. His eyes widened, but at the last second, he
jumped over her and landed lightly on the other side of the raft, balancing
shakily. Lucy tipped to the side, leaning out over the lake, but Hunter grabbed
her and pulled her close.

"Did you have any more questions?"

Deep in her mind, Lucy knew she did, but she couldn't think
of them at the moment. He kissed her, and his hand ran up her back and into her
braid. The kiss lasted longer than any kiss she'd had before.

Finally, she pulled back, out of his embrace, afraid that
she'd lose this chance to get to know him better. She rapid-fired questions at
him, on the alert for any lies. His favorite movie:
Shutter Island
. His
favorite food: seafood, particularly lobster. His favorite book:
Forgive Me,
Alex
by Lane Diamond—with the added, "I can't wait for the
sequel!" His favorite date spot: this lake.

Awwww
. Much of it was trivia, but she started piecing
together his life from these shared bits of information.

"Not many people know this, but I was actually adopted.
The man I call my father found me when I was an infant and took me in. My
parents had abandoned me. My adoptive father raised me as his own, and when he
was killed, something died in me, too. It's why I joined IPI, to find his
killer." Hunter kept his eyes on the moon as he spoke, but then turned to
look at Lucy. "I've never shared this with anyone else."

Her mind clicked. "The serial killer who killed your
father.... He was a paranormal?"

Hunter nodded, but didn't speak.

She squeezed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Did you ever find him?"

"Not yet, but I will someday."

The mood grew somber as they drifted toward a grassy shore.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Want to get off and
stretch?"

"Sure."

Vines grew thick around them, creating a secret paradise.

They held hands as they walked into a grassy knoll, and then
lay down to stare at the moon and the stars filling the night sky. Hunter
rolled to his side and propped his head up with his hand. "What are you
thinking about?"

"Just wondering what life will be like when we get out
of this mess. Are you with me because I'm literally the only woman
around?"

He kissed her. "Lucy, even if hundreds of naked women
were walking around this place, I'd only have eyes for you. Granted, our
circumstances probably brought us together faster than had we met in our real
lives, but that doesn't make what we have any less real. And when we go back,
we'll find a way to be together, if that's what you want."

She tried to imagine life with Hunter. Would she stay at the
mansion in Washington, or go to Washington, D.C. with him? What would she do
with her life? Where would she live? So many questions to sort through, but
looking into his green eyes she knew that she wanted to be with him, no matter
what.

"So, does this mean...?"

"It means I've fallen in love with you, Lucy. As crazy
as that sounds, it's true. And if you'll have me, I want to see where this
leads."

Her heart swelled with warmth. She'd never felt this way
before, never known this kind of love before. That empty place inside her
filled with something new, and a tear trickled out of her eye. "I love you
too, Hunter."

When they kissed again, it had a new edge to it, something
deeper and more meaningful. The walls around their feelings had crumbled under
the declaration of love, and they willingly laid themselves bare to each other.

Hunter's hand moved under her shirt, and she welcomed the
advance. She wanted to give herself entirely to him, wanted to know what it
felt like to make love to someone for the first time. Curiosity had driven her
previous sexual experiences, more so than passion or desire. With Hunter, the
passion and desire took over, making her body a slave to his.