“You did those things?” Will asked, taking a drink of water.
“Yes, I did.” Lucy gloated, feeling proud. She considered it one of her best qualities.
“Aren’t you afraid of snakes and mice?” Admiration sparked his eyes.
“No, what is there to be afraid of? They’re just creatures trying to get along in the world, same as you and me.” She ate the last of her sambosa.
“True, but most girls don’t see them that way.”
“My maid, Harriet, and my sister Ellen are terrified of any kind of creature, except perhaps horses. I suppose that makes me odd.” She wiped her hands on the napkin in her lap.
“Odd for sure, but also amazing.” Will tilted his head as though he were reexamining a painting he only understood in that moment.
Siti, their waitress brought their main course. The meat sizzled on the plates. Along with the meat was a sauce she called tahini, some fresh lemon, and some couscous. “Is there anything I can get you?” she asked after all the food was on the table.
“Not now, thank you.”
Lucy stared at her plate, unsure where to begin.
Will cleared his throat. She looked up. He had the wooden piece with a string of chicken on it in one hand and a fork in the other. Lucy watched as he pressed the fork along the meat, pulling it from the skewer.
She nodded. Picked up her fork and did the same.
He dipped a piece of meat in the sauce. Chewed. Smiled. “Good.”
She dipped a piece of hers in the sauce. It was strange, unlike anything she tasted. There was tanginess, and some heat. But Will was right. It was good. “Very,” she agreed.
They ate in a comfortable silence a few minutes. Then Will said, “You also have a brother, correct?”
He remembered her ramblings of a few days ago, when she first arrived in this century. “Yes, his name is Beaumont.”
“And do you get along with them?” Will continued.
“For the most part.” She took a scoop of the couscous and put it in her mouth. It reminded her a little of rice and potatoes. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?” she asked when she finished her bite.
“I have three older brothers. They’re all übersuccessful, married to amazing wives and perfect children. At least that’s what my mom and dad think. They’re super proud.”
Lucy thought she heard a hint of bitterness as well as sadness in his voice. “And you don’t believe they’re proud of you?”
Will snorted. “I dropped out of college to travel the world, searching for statues in exchange for profit. Proud is not the word they would use to describe me.” He shook his head. “Lazy. Privileged. Arrogant. Unruly. Those words have been used more than once.”
“But if you love what you do, and you’re obviously good at it. How can they say those things?”
“You think that would be what they care about, I know. But my job isn’t respectable. They want to tell their friends I just took over a fortune five hundred company. Instead they have to tell their friends I’m traipsing through some godforsaken jungle looking for a trinket.”
“Ouch. I’m sorry.” She set down her fork, feeling full.
“I’ve learned to deal with their disappointment.” He smirked, shoveling another piece of meat in his mouth.
“It’s difficult to believe so little has changed in that aspect of family dynamics over the last two centuries.”
“Doubt it ever will.” He chuckled. “To change the subject, I thought we should discuss tomorrow.”
“I’m listening.”
“We’re leaving early in the morning. Seven, to be exact. Please be ready. Don’t wear heels or open toe shoes. Hopefully Ingrid packed clothing that’s appropriate for hiking.” His mouth fell into a frown.
“Not to worry. She did.”
“Good. We’ll be hiking mostly rough terrain until we reach Ra’s Mouth. At the entrance we’ll make camp for the night.”
“Sleep outside?” Lucy asked, unable to help interrupting. She couldn’t imagine doing such a thing.
“If you’d rather not, you’re welcome to stay behind at the hotel. It’s paid for.”
She shook her head, determined to follow through and do what Will did. “I can sleep outside. I’m sure it will be an adventure.”
Will grimaced. “It isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, trust me. You’ll have to pee in the bushes while keeping a look out for sand spiders or poisonous snakes. Usually one man watches the other’s back while he does his business. You won’t have that luxury as you’ll be the only female on the team.”
Lucy swallowed. Her throat suddenly felt like it was coated with sand. “No other women?”
“Correct.” He combed his fingers through his dirty blond hair. “I want you to stay with me, no matter what. If I go around a tree to avoid something, you’ll do the same. The men in the group know what they’re doing, but that doesn’t make them honest or even good. They may try to…” He paused, his vivid blue eyes piercing into her soul. “Just stay close. And remember, you promised.”
The seriousness of his words as well as the tone of his voice convinced her. “I’ll stay nearby.”
Siti reappeared. “Can I interest you in some dessert?”
Will gave Lucy a questioning look.
“We’ll take one baklava. Thank you.”
“Right away.” She cleared their plates before leaving.
“I know that in your time men and women don’t share rooms, but you’ll be sleeping in my tent with me. There cannot be a negotiation on this. I need to know you’re safe and this is the only way I can do it. I think I’ve proven trustworthy.”
Lucy’s stomach began to flutter with nerves. She could see his reasoning. And she knew she wouldn’t trust anyone but him. Still, the thought of sleeping in the same quarters as a man… She couldn’t begin to imagine what her mother would say. “I do trust you, Will.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile.
“I trust you too, Lucy.” He sipped his water. “In the morning we’ll enter the cave. Again, I need you to stay with me. Got it?”
“I won’t leave your side.”
“That’s my girl.” He winked.
Lucy felt her face go hot.
“The plan is to retrieve the statue and be out of the caves before nightfall. Then we’ll stay another night at the entrance and return to New York the following day.”
Lucy did the math in her head. She would return to her time before midnight on the sixth day. That meant she wouldn’t be back in time to see her grandfather. She blinked back tears, not all that surprised by the reaction. She loved him already.
“What is it?” Will asked, grabbing hold of her hand.
Lucy didn’t flinch this time. She sniffled. “I’ll probably be gone before you get back to New York. I’ll be back… in my own time.”
Will opened his mouth, but no words came out. “I keep forgetting you weren’t born in the twenty-first century,” he finally said.
“Me too.”
Be sure to download PARANORMAL GIFT, book two in the Gods and Paranormals series. Coming soon!
Before you go, read the first chapter of BLOOD AND SNOW for free by turning the page.
BLOOD AND SNOW
Seven Magics Academy Book One
“I’ve had several scorching hot daydreams about the new guy. Have you seen him?” Cindy fanned her face with her hand while she spoke.
“Cin, too much information. Seriously. I don’t need to hear about your boy crazy fantasies.” We forced our way down one of Salem Academy’s busy hallways as we spoke. Directly in our line of sight appeared Jesse, a guy from the football team. He was handsome, except for the fact that I’d known him since elementary school and knew he was a walking turd. He winked and I blanched, thinking for a split second that he’d winked at me.
“Cindy. Babe. Looking good.” He made of point of checking her out.
“Don’t you know it,” Cindy said, giving him a coy smile.
He h
adn’t been winking at me, but at Cindy. I wasn’t wink worthy. Whatever. I was fine with that. I had plenty to deal with and worrying about what guys thought of me wasn’t one of them. Except that wasn’t totally true.
We exited the throng of bodies to my locker. I turned my combination and lifted the latch, letting my backpack fall off my shoulder in the process. Most of my books were online, which saved me from shoulder and back pain, but occasionally there were assignments that required a good old-fashioned book. I unzipped my backpack and took my social studies book as well as my chemistry book and jammed them into my bag before slamming the door.
“You can never get too much information about hot guys and let me just say, wow!” Cindy rested her petite frame against the locker next to mine. Her radiant baby blues twinkled in anticipation.
I hefted my backpack onto my shoulder. “Apparently, he’s… cute?” I asked, closing my locker.
She snorted. “Cute? No! He isn’t a kitten. He’s dazzling. I’m talking completely gorgeous and he has a voice that could melt chocolate.”
“Sounds delicious,” I said, laughing. We wound our way back into the throng of students, on our way toward the gym.
Cindy had a way with words. It’d been like that since kindergarten. We met on our first day. She traded me her cream cake for my apple. “I don’t think you should eat the apple, Snow White.” We’d been friends more than ten years.
She was different than me in every way, except our eye color. She was the epitome of a waif, while I towered over her at five foot eight. She had blond hair that hung to her hips and was always perfectly styled. My hair was coffee brown and stopped just below my ears. Her clothes looked like they’d come straight out of her latest fashion magazines. It was the same with her nails, makeup, and jewelry, including the heart shaped stud in her belly button. Me? Well, let’s just say I didn’t own any makeup, and my clothes consisted of baggy jeans and large old tee shirts thanks to my seven best friends and their hand-me-downs. My nails were stubby, and my ears weren’t even pierced. Honestly, I wondered if Cin found me embarrassing sometimes.
It could’ve been because she felt sorry for me. The same year she and I met, I jumped out of a swing, cutting my arm on something on the ground. At the hospital, it was determined I had hemophilia, a rare blood disorder. Which basically means my blood doesn’t clot like other people’s. After that trauma, most school activities and recess became out of the question. Thankfully, my hemophilia was one of the milder cases.
A girl walking by, bumped into my shoulder. I glanced at her, but she just kept walking. Some people’s kids. I shook my head, noticing that Cindy was looking at me. “What?” Then remembered the guy. “He sounds nice.” I shrugged. What did she want from me?
“Snow!” Cindy stomped her foot. “Nice isn’t even a proper word. It’s in the same arena as fine, good, okay, and pure.” She shuddered, clinging to her sparkly blue notebook with even more fervor.
“What’s wrong with pure?” I asked, unable to help laughing at her indignation as we turned a corner before heading down a set of stairs.
She jogged down the steps to keep up. “Nothing if you’re Snow White.” A look of amused disgust sat on her face.
I pulled the locker room door open. An immediate whiff of steamed perfume smacked my nose. It was extra hot in there as well as muggy.
Cindy followed me in and sat on a bench while I changed into my workout clothes. I would’ve been self-conscious had it been anyone else since I tended to bruise easily and there was always at least one or two on my body. They looked worse than they were.
I was thankful for my body because I knew I could do more than a lot of people. Growing up, my mom hadn’t coddled me per say, but she had been extra cautious. Once my mom died and my dad remarried my stepmother, all caution went out the window. She thought I needed to be whipped into shape, which was why I was currently dressing for track practice.
“I can’t believe your dad and stepmother are still forcing you to participate in this nonsense. Haven’t they seen you run? You’re an accident waiting to happen and you don’t have to wait long.” She tenderly touched a more recent bruise above my knee.
I huffed. “Rude!” But it was the truth. I ran like a herd of super klutzy elephants, or a drunken rhino. Hence, the bruises. I wasn’t graceful or fast. It was just sad. Still, my dad and stepmother had agreed to buy me a laptop if I participated. I think they hoped I’d get some rhythm or become less bumbling if the coach gave me some pointers.
Both Coach Sorensen and I knew there wasn’t a snowball’s chance I’d become more agile anytime soon, but he understood why I tried so hard. “For the sake of a laptop I’ll let you stay on the team,” he’d said. “But I couldn’t let you participate even if I wanted to. Not with your… issues.”
That was fine by me. With our mutual understanding, I went to every practice and every meet, holding up my end of the stupid deal. I knew my dad thought the idea of me running track was crazy, but he kowtowed to my stepmother, and I didn’t want to make waves.
Sadly, my disgraceful running behavior had made me the brunt of several jokes.
“Hide the dust bunnies, Snow’s on the loose. We don’t want her to fall.” That one had been making its way around school lately. But there were others that popped up every so often. “What’s the difference between Snow and a tree?” they’d ask. Answer: “A tree sways, Snow falls.” Another: “What do a leaf and Snow have in common?” Answer: “They both fall.” And the lamest: “Why’d the chicken cross the road?” Answer: “Because he was afraid Snow would fall on him.” The jokes weren’t really funny or even that creative, but they were shared within my earshot on a regular basis.
“Want to hear the latest joke?” Cindy asked, as though reading my mind.
I gave her a look I hoped said, no freaking way!
“It’s actually kind of fun-ny,” she said in her sing-song voice.
I plopped down next to her and slid on my shoes. “Do I have a choice?”
“Snow? C’mon.” She smacked me playfully on my super white knee. I couldn’t help but notice how sun-kissed and perfectly shaved her legs were compared to mine. I’d missed a spot or two—or three—in the shower this morning.
Sighing, I nodded reluctantly and pulled up my tube socks.
“What’s the only thing that runs slower than Snow White?”
I double-knotted my shoelaces, waiting.
“Come on, ask.”
“Fine.” I grimaced, leaning my elbows on my thighs. “What?”
A strangled snicker escaped her glossed lips. “A snowman,” she said, laughing hysterically. “Get it? Snow man.”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, that’s funny.” Standing, I slammed my locker with more oomph than intended. The noise reverberated through the locker room. I wasn’t angry. No point. It was true. Running and me were like oil and water, or rocks and battery acid; we didn’t mix. Still, I didn’t enjoy hearing the jokes very much.
“I’ll see you later.” I stood, clutching my fists at my sides.
“Hey, we still watching a movie tonight?” She took hold of my wrist, her voice pouty, and I knew I’d hurt her feelings.
That wasn’t my intention. She hadn’t come up with the joke, after all. Without a doubt, I knew she wouldn’t do that. “Of course. Want to meet at the regular spot around nine?”
A brilliant smile lit her up. “Yep, I’ll see you after my shift at Bertilini’s. Invite the guys if you want.”
The guys she referred to were my next-door neighbors. They were also my best friends. Their names were Bart, Sebastian, Daniel, Dorian, Gabriel, Heathcliff, and Salvatore. They lived in a mansion with an old professor by the name of Adam Henry. I called him Professor Pops because that’s what the guys called him. He wasn’t their real father as far as genetics went, but I’d never seen a man love his sons more than Professor Pops loved his adopted boys. Sometimes I got a little jealous since my dad and stepmother were gone a lot—like right now
. They were in St. Bart’s doing what, I had no idea. Staying away from me, probably.
“Cool. See ya.” I raised a hand in farewell and pushed open the door that led out onto the field behind the school.
“Au revoir,” she returned, waving.
I smiled to myself as I went outside. It seemed French was the latest foreign language Cindy decided to study in her free time. She’d already tried to learn Italian, Chinese, and Spanish.
Chewing a nail, I headed down the stairs. One of my steps was too big and I started to fall forward. Stretching out my arms, I braced for the inevitable, closing my eyes out of habit. Skinned hands and bruised knees along with imbedded pavement rock would be a part of my very near future along with a possible a trip to the ER.
The fall never came though. I realized someone held me. He or she smelled like sweat and spicy cologne: oranges and cinnamon, maybe. The chest felt taut and the hands seemed large. I was betting a guy had caught me.
Slowly I peered through my lashes. Dazzling hazel eyes watched me. His lips turned up in a half smirk.
“You should be more careful. That fall would’ve hurt.”
“You’re singing to the choir, buddy,” I said, blushing as I flopped around like a dying fish. Then made matters worse by trying to stand and smacked him in the mouth with my forehead. A drop of rosy red blood immediately formed on his bottom lip.
He helped me onto my feet, amusement dancing in his eyes. I was shocked he didn’t immediately run away. All guys did.
“Sorry about that,” I said, studying his handsome features. His hair was a sandy blond and he was tanned. I absently noticed that he was at least six inches taller than me, which made my heart do an excited pitter, skippity-skip, pat since most guys were either shorter or as tall. I’d always had a thing for taller guys, not that it mattered. I’d never had a real boyfriend and I was pushing sixteen.
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