Nightmares from her dreams. Now she was a vision, her pale skin kissed by the sun, her eyes no longer marred by shadows, her lush figure filled out and not so lean. But as wonderful as the package was, it was the contents he loved—her kindness and compassion, her deep love for him, and her desire for his happiness.
"Are you sure it was a Guardian you saw earlier?" she asked for the hundredth time, her hand caressing the hard ripples of his naked abdomen.
"Pretty damn sure. Either that or an Elder. We'll know for certain when we head back over there and I search her room."
Lyssa's wince caused him to cup the back of her head and pull her down for a quick, hard kiss to her forehead.
"Trust me," he urged.
"I do. You know I do." She sighed, her thick lashes lowering to hide her thoughts. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to freak out when you put yourself in danger. The thought of you hurt terrifies me."
"I know how you feel, Hot Stuff, because I feel the same way about you. That's why we have to follow through. If we're being hunted, I have to know." Aidan lifted his hand and rubbed a lock of her hair between his fingertips. "We need to know if she's after you, or the
taza
. Or both. Shit, maybe she's here for something we don't know about yet."
Lyssa sat up and arranged herself against the headboard. She sighed, the sound blending with the waves that crashed on the beach outside their balcony. "Being the Key sucks."
He hummed a soothing sound. "I'm sorry, baby."
There was nothing more he could say and they both knew it.
"It's worth it to be with you." Her sweet voice was low and fervent.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. "Want one last beer before we check out?"
Her smile affected him deeply, tempting him to stay in bed longer when they really had to be going. Aidan sat up and left the bed before his heart overruled his brain, something it did often because he loved Lyssa so much. It drove him crazy that he couldn't shake the feeling that their time together was limited, that there was an hourglass somewhere draining the sands of time. For an immortal, that was saying something. And what it was saying wasn't good.
"You're always taking care of me," she murmured. "Looking after me, supporting me. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'll never find out, Hot Stuff."
Lyssa stared into the dark blue eyes of her lover and hated the anxiety that vibrated deep within her, the feeling of dread and doom that was making her nauseas. Her instinctual response to hearing that a Guardian was nearby was to run far away, not hunt them down and find out what they wanted.
She watched Aidan move to the table by the open sliding glass door. He used his pocket knife to slice up one of the dozen limes he'd picked up yesterday, then he cradled a handful of slices in his palms and carried them back to the nightstand.
Enamored with the sheer beauty of his body, Lyssa was riveted by the view of Aidan approaching in a delicious display of golden rippling abs and outstretched hands dripping lime juice. Well over six feet of pure, unadulterated, luscious male. The man of her dreams. Literally. A man who'd left everything behind to be with her. A man who was determined to save her from his own people who wanted her dead, regardless of any risk to himself. She loved him so much it burned like fire in her chest, making it hard to breath.
"Do you ever consider that protecting me, working for McDougal, and hunting the artifacts are altogether too much for you to handle by yourself?" She watched him sit on the edge of the mattress and reached out to rest her hand atop his shoulder. The muscles bunched as he popped the cap off the bottle and stuffed the opening with a lime slice. The scent of his skin, something exotic and spicy, hit her at the same moment as the smell of tangy citrus. "If there is one Guardian here, there could be more."
He twisted and met her gaze head on. His irises were an intense deep blue,
"Are you sure it was a Guardian you saw earlier?" she asked for the hundredth time, her hand caressing the hard ripples of his naked abdomen.
"Pretty damn sure. Either that or an Elder. We'll know for certain when we head back over there and I search her room."
Lyssa's wince caused him to cup the back of her head and pull her down for a quick, hard kiss to her forehead.
"Trust me," he urged.
"I do. You know I do." She sighed, her thick lashes lowering to hide her thoughts. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to freak out when you put yourself in danger. The thought of you hurt terrifies me."
"I know how you feel, Hot Stuff, because I feel the same way about you. That's why we have to follow through. If we're being hunted, I have to know." Aidan lifted his hand and rubbed a lock of her hair between his fingertips. "We need to know if she's after you, or the
taza
. Or both. Shit, maybe she's here for something we don't know about yet."
Lyssa sat up and arranged herself against the headboard. She sighed, the sound blending with the waves that crashed on the beach outside their balcony. "Being the Key sucks."
He hummed a soothing sound. "I'm sorry, baby."
There was nothing more he could say and they both knew it.
"It's worth it to be with you." Her sweet voice was low and fervent.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. "Want one last beer before we check out?"
Her smile affected him deeply, tempting him to stay in bed longer when they really had to be going. Aidan sat up and left the bed before his heart overruled his brain, something it did often because he loved Lyssa so much. It drove him crazy that he couldn't shake the feeling that their time together was limited, that there was an hourglass somewhere draining the sands of time. For an immortal, that was saying something. And what it was saying wasn't good.
"You're always taking care of me," she murmured. "Looking after me, supporting me. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'll never find out, Hot Stuff."
Lyssa stared into the dark blue eyes of her lover and hated the anxiety that vibrated deep within her, the feeling of dread and doom that was making her nauseas. Her instinctual response to hearing that a Guardian was nearby was to run far away, not hunt them down and find out what they wanted.
She watched Aidan move to the table by the open sliding glass door. He used his pocket knife to slice up one of the dozen limes he'd picked up yesterday, then he cradled a handful of slices in his palms and carried them back to the nightstand.
Enamored with the sheer beauty of his body, Lyssa was riveted by the view of Aidan approaching in a delicious display of golden rippling abs and outstretched hands dripping lime juice. Well over six feet of pure, unadulterated, luscious male. The man of her dreams. Literally. A man who'd left everything behind to be with her. A man who was determined to save her from his own people who wanted her dead, regardless of any risk to himself. She loved him so much it burned like fire in her chest, making it hard to breath.
"Do you ever consider that protecting me, working for McDougal, and hunting the artifacts are altogether too much for you to handle by yourself?" She watched him sit on the edge of the mattress and reached out to rest her hand atop his shoulder. The muscles bunched as he popped the cap off the bottle and stuffed the opening with a lime slice. The scent of his skin, something exotic and spicy, hit her at the same moment as the smell of tangy citrus. "If there is one Guardian here, there could be more."
He twisted and met her gaze head on. His irises were an intense deep blue,
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