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Authors: Elisabeth Naughton
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back to searching.”
He knew she was right, but he wasn’t ready to let her go.
Reluctantly, he stepped back. The voice had faded, which meant the other recruit must have moved on. Before he could back out of the cave, Elysia said. “Wait. Do you feel that?”
The only thing he felt was her heat still swirling around him like a vortex in the small space, but he stilled and tried to focus so he could figure out what she meant. Cool air drifted over his calves.
“This cave goes farther back,” she said with excitement. “We should check it out. Just in case.”
“Let me look.” Damon crouched. She was right. The cave opened to a crawl space big enough for a person. What he’d thought was sunlight from the opening was actually light coming from deeper in the cave. “There’s some kind of illumination.”
Elysia knelt beside him, her arm brushing his in the process, sending shards of heat all through his torso. She shifted in front of him on her hands and knees and moved into the crawl space. “Come on.”
He hesitated for only a split second, watching the sway of her sweet ass as she wiggled through the tight space. If another recruit found the aegis before she did, all his little fantasies about her were going to poof right out of his grasp. If he wanted to go back to what they’d just been about to do, he needed to stop fucking around and get busy.
A scraping sound echoed ahead. Damon crawled after Elysia, grunting as his shoulders and back hit the top of the tunnel and his knees scraped along the rocky floor. Just when he was sure this passageway was nothing more than a hoax, Elysia gasped.
He pushed to his feet when the tunnel opened to a large room. Light shone down from a hole in the ceiling, illuminating a pedestal made of stone. He let his eyes adjust, then sucked in a breath when he saw what had made her gasp.
A metal shield that looked to be millennia old sat on the pedestal. As he drew close, Damon caught sight of the silhouette of a mermaid imprinted into the metal.
“Wow.” Elysia stopped in front of the shield. “I thought you said it was a gorgon head.”
“I’ve never seen an aegis from the Sirens.” Truth was, he’d never stuck around long enough to care what items a recruit had to find after rescuing him.
Elysia grazed the shield with her fingertips. A burst of light filled the room, highlighting the walls, the floor, the tunnel they’d just crawled through. She pulled her hand back, and the light slowly dimmed until it was nothing but a bright spot at the base of her neck. A turquoise amulet appeared at her throat, anchored by a chain around her neck. An amulet surrounded by swirls of silver that oddly resembled marine life.
Wide-eyed, Elysia reached up to touch the amulet. “It’s cool, like water.”
Damon ran his own fingers along the edge of the jewel. “That makes sense. The ancient Sirens were thought to be mermaids. Seductive females enchanting sailors who ventured near.”
“I’ve read Homer.”
Surprise lifted his gaze from the amulet to her face, highlighted by the glow of the stone. And again he was struck by the fact she remembered more than she should. “You have?”
“Long ago, when I was in school.”
“In the same school where you learned about the gods?”
“The same place.”
Memories flickered in her eyes, ones he couldn’t read. But he could tell that whatever she was seeing was more than a fragment. And that meant she wasn’t simply a memory swipe gone wrong. She was different from the other recruits. Somehow, she was more than any other female who’d been marked for the Sirens. And for reasons he couldn’t explain, he had to know more about her. He had to know everything.
“Damon?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you all right?”
He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that she was closer than she’d been moments before. Had she stepped in or had he? He glanced down only to realize his hand had moved from the amulet at her throat to lie over the
He knew she was right, but he wasn’t ready to let her go.
Reluctantly, he stepped back. The voice had faded, which meant the other recruit must have moved on. Before he could back out of the cave, Elysia said. “Wait. Do you feel that?”
The only thing he felt was her heat still swirling around him like a vortex in the small space, but he stilled and tried to focus so he could figure out what she meant. Cool air drifted over his calves.
“This cave goes farther back,” she said with excitement. “We should check it out. Just in case.”
“Let me look.” Damon crouched. She was right. The cave opened to a crawl space big enough for a person. What he’d thought was sunlight from the opening was actually light coming from deeper in the cave. “There’s some kind of illumination.”
Elysia knelt beside him, her arm brushing his in the process, sending shards of heat all through his torso. She shifted in front of him on her hands and knees and moved into the crawl space. “Come on.”
He hesitated for only a split second, watching the sway of her sweet ass as she wiggled through the tight space. If another recruit found the aegis before she did, all his little fantasies about her were going to poof right out of his grasp. If he wanted to go back to what they’d just been about to do, he needed to stop fucking around and get busy.
A scraping sound echoed ahead. Damon crawled after Elysia, grunting as his shoulders and back hit the top of the tunnel and his knees scraped along the rocky floor. Just when he was sure this passageway was nothing more than a hoax, Elysia gasped.
He pushed to his feet when the tunnel opened to a large room. Light shone down from a hole in the ceiling, illuminating a pedestal made of stone. He let his eyes adjust, then sucked in a breath when he saw what had made her gasp.
A metal shield that looked to be millennia old sat on the pedestal. As he drew close, Damon caught sight of the silhouette of a mermaid imprinted into the metal.
“Wow.” Elysia stopped in front of the shield. “I thought you said it was a gorgon head.”
“I’ve never seen an aegis from the Sirens.” Truth was, he’d never stuck around long enough to care what items a recruit had to find after rescuing him.
Elysia grazed the shield with her fingertips. A burst of light filled the room, highlighting the walls, the floor, the tunnel they’d just crawled through. She pulled her hand back, and the light slowly dimmed until it was nothing but a bright spot at the base of her neck. A turquoise amulet appeared at her throat, anchored by a chain around her neck. An amulet surrounded by swirls of silver that oddly resembled marine life.
Wide-eyed, Elysia reached up to touch the amulet. “It’s cool, like water.”
Damon ran his own fingers along the edge of the jewel. “That makes sense. The ancient Sirens were thought to be mermaids. Seductive females enchanting sailors who ventured near.”
“I’ve read Homer.”
Surprise lifted his gaze from the amulet to her face, highlighted by the glow of the stone. And again he was struck by the fact she remembered more than she should. “You have?”
“Long ago, when I was in school.”
“In the same school where you learned about the gods?”
“The same place.”
Memories flickered in her eyes, ones he couldn’t read. But he could tell that whatever she was seeing was more than a fragment. And that meant she wasn’t simply a memory swipe gone wrong. She was different from the other recruits. Somehow, she was more than any other female who’d been marked for the Sirens. And for reasons he couldn’t explain, he had to know more about her. He had to know everything.
“Damon?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you all right?”
He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that she was closer than she’d been moments before. Had she stepped in or had he? He glanced down only to realize his hand had moved from the amulet at her throat to lie over the
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