trees around them. Here he could keep them in a slightly warmer air pocket using his ability to control weather but, even with that, the chilling magic of the area seeped in over time.
Jord found the cave he’d been making for. It felt good to get out of the cold winds. Meghan had to be freezing by now, but she had not complained once. The spirit and acceptance of this mortal continued to amaze Jord.
As he’d hoped, there was a stack of dry firewood at the ready and he soon had a little blaze going.
“That should help warm you up a bit.”
Meghan sat before the fire and unzipped her jacket, soaking in the heat. Jord could see her starting to relax as the chill left her. She pulled out the necklace his mother had given her.
“Your mother said you’d teach me how to use this.”
The red stone glowed in the fire’s light. It was one of his mother’s most prized possessions.
“That necklace is known as Ansfrida, the Jewel of Nidavellir. It has some very powerful magic attached to it. Let me show you.”
Jord held out his hand. Meghan pulled the chain over her head and handed the necklace to Jord. He watched as the thick curls fell back over her shoulders and found himself wondering what it would be like to run his hands through those strands. His body hardened as he watched her. It was a reaction he hadn’t expected, yet had no power to resist. As her green eyes gazed up into his, all he could think about was grabbing her and crushing her to him.
His mouth salivated, as desire gripped him. He had to stop thinking like this. He took the necklace, and forced his eyes away from her. He regarded the faceted red jewel and touched its perfection. It was extremely beautiful. Yet in that moment, shining brilliantly in the firelight, its beauty was so much less than hers.
He knew he shouldn’t want her, couldn’t want her, but he did.
As the warmth of the fire seeped into her frozen hands, Meghan watched Jord. A god. He was immortal. Yet he seemed so unaffected—just a normal guy. Well, far from normal. He was handsome, confident, and far too sexy for his own good . . . or hers.
When he’d pulled those incredible gray eyes from her, just to glance down at the necklace, Meghan felt a loss, a gloom. Why did just having him look at her make her feel so good?
Jord pursed his lips as he examined the necklace. Meghan wondered what it would be like to kiss those lips. Deep down she knew she needed to stop thinking like this, but still . . .
“You hold it like this.” Jord had the gem in his right hand. Meghan forced herself to look at the necklace and not at him. His thumb was behind the setting and his fingers touched various facets of the jewel. “Then stroke downward, like this.”
Meghan saw Jord’s fingers stroke the gem. What would it be like to have those fingers stroking . . .
Suddenly he was gone.
“Oh, I’m still here.” His voice came from somewhere in front of her, but she couldn’t see him.
“Invisibility?” Was it any more incredible than a flying chariot, or a flashlight that turned into a club?
“To reverse the process, do the same, but stroke up instead of down.”
He was there again, in front of her, handing the necklace back. “Try it.”
Meghan placed the necklace around her neck once more and mimicked Jord’s action, but nothing seemed to happen. What had she done wrong?
Jord’s eyes widened. “Perfect.”
She looked down and could still see herself. Then she noticed the fire was not casting her shadow onto the cave wall.
“I’m really invisible?” She moved quietly to the side.
“Completely.” Jord continued to stare where she had been.
She moved around Jord, to stand at his back. He turned his head to the side. “You are still here, right?”
She giggled and tapped him on the shoulder. “Nope, I’m back here.”
She took a step back, trying to move as silently as she could, enjoying her little game.
“Just because I can’t see you, doesn’t mean I can’t
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