Amaryllis watched as the blonde flicked her tongue between each tine of her fork to collect every speck of cream. “Oh now I know why Kristos loves you so.”
A red flushed streaked across her cheeks. “You are so bad.”
“So I’ve been told.”
“You know, I noticed you and Lucian seemed to have put aside your differences last night.”
“He agreed to stop being so bossy, and I agreed to stop pushing his buttons. Most of the time.”
“That’s too bad. I like seeing Lucian flustered.” She shrugged a deceptively casual shoulder. “Hey, have you thought about staying in town a few days longer? You haven’t really had a chance to explore the countryside.”
“You’re plotting something, Sheriff. I can feel it like little feet marching down my spine.”
She stuck out her tongue. “I hate when you guys do that. Let me keep my emotions to myself.”
“Then learn how to keep them to yourself. Especially if you’re making devious plans about Lucian and me.”
“It’s just that I find you two very entertaining when you’re together. You challenge him and I don’t think he’s had that in a really long time. Besides, the boys think they’re the shit and I have my hands full with Kristos being the protective warrior. You can work on relaxing Lucian. Around you he seems more…human.”
The women held each other’s gazes for a moment before they burst out in peals of laughter.
“Did I hear you can make Lucian flustered?” Betty Sue topped off their mugs of coffee. “I’d pay to see that. He is one yummy man. So strong and mysterious. But he’s also so somber. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh, really laugh, like you two have been doing all afternoon. It’s like he has this shell around him that no one can break through, and believe me, honey, almost every single woman in this town has tried.”
Really? Amaryllis was intrigued. “There must have been at least one woman who’s captured his interest.”
Both Betty Sue and Brett wore identical frowns as they each looked into the distance. Finally Brett shook her head while Betty Sue answered, “Nope, not really.”
No wonder Lucian was as tense as a tightrope. She lifted her cup in a toast. “Then it’s a good thing I’m in town. Sounds like the poor man needs to release some steam. Ah—”
A sharp, pain shot down Amaryllis’ neck to her hand. The mug dropped from her grip to smash against the countertop.
“Amaryllis?” Brett got to her feet as frantic screaming came from the street outside.
“There’s a child in danger.” She jumped from her seat and raced to the diner’s front window.
Bright-orange flames licked the underside of the overhang of a nearby gas station. The source of the fire was a sedan. The petrol hose was still in the tank, feeding the flames consuming pump and car. A man ran around the vehicle, his face stretched with horror as he approached the smoking door handle then sprang back when the heat became too much to bear.
Brett shot out of the diner and began barking orders into her police radio. “Unit one to base. I need fire units to the gas station on Maple and Main. Car is engulfed in flames and there may be a child trapped inside.”
Amaryllis followed, joined by what seemed like the entire town.
“I forgot,” the man yelled at Brett as she ran full speed toward him. “I was smoking and forgot. Mikey. Mikey’s inside.”
A squad car pulled up, and then another and another. While the officers were busy keeping the gathering crowd at bay and devising a plan for rescue, little Mikey cried and shrieked with fear. His terror reached across the distance and squeezed Amaryllis around the throat. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to use her powers to send some comfort to the boy. How was he to understand that the more he panicked, the faster he used up all the available oxygen in the car? Perhaps she was wishing for the impossible, but what else could she do? Race in and pull him from the vehicle?
Wait. Why couldn’t she? She had the strength, she had the speed. All she needed was a way to slip in unseen. There were only a hundred, maybe two hundred, potential witnesses clustered on the sidewalk, all gaping with wide eyes and cellphones glued to the rescue efforts of the police.
Right. No problem.
“My boy! Please, my boy!”
No. She could do this. Had to do this. A life, maybe more, was at stake.
She edged her way to the back of the crowd and skirted around to where she had a direct line to the passenger door. Her muscles tensed to run when another cry rang out.
“It’s him! It’s him!”
Shouts of “the Chameleon” grew louder and more fevered as the crowd pointed in the distance. A streak of black and gray raced past the police barricade and her mouth dropped open as the incredible sight unfolded before her.
By. The. Gods.
This was a hallucination. It had to be. She blinked hard once, then again, but the image remained the same.
The newcomer wore the royal armor of a Skandavian guard. His torso shimmered with the reflection of the flames, making the outline of his body disappear into the environment. The black cowl covering his head may have concealed his identity, but Amaryllis recognized those firm lips and that cleft chin in an instant.
Lucian.
With nary a pause he reached out and grasped the handle of the car door, tearing it free from the hinges and tossing it aside as if it weighed no more than a paper plate.
Ignoring the flames, he reached inside and wrenched the toddler from the wreckage, car seat and all. His image blurred again as he raced to the waiting paramedics and delivered his precious cargo. The child was in safe hands, but the Chameleon wasn’t finished yet. He traced inside the store and returned with two fire extinguishers and went to work on the worst of the blaze.
Spectators jostled around Amaryllis, angling for the best view of the hero in action. She ducked and weaved, searching for the perfect view herself. Damn her small stature, she cursed as she stepped back and jumped, clearing four feet of air to see over the heads of the humans blocking her view.
The blare of sirens heralded the arrival of the fire department. With most of the flames doused, Lucian nodded to the firemen then ran back in the direction he had come from.
Amaryllis was torn with the desire to chase after him and grill him for answers and staying to assist however she could.
Brett jogged up to her side. “Amaryllis, I’m gonna be awhile. Let me get one of my men to take you home.”
“I can make it back myself. It looks like you could use all the help you can get.”
She snorted. “I can spare one to take you home. Reutgers,” she shouted, drawing the attention of a young deputy. “I need you to take my friend here to my house and stay with her until Kristos or one of the other Kilsgaards meet you there.”
“Brett, I don’t need a babysitter.”
“And I don’t need three overprotective men jumping on my ass,” she snapped, then closed her eyes on an inhale and laid her hand on Amaryllis’ arm. “I’m sorry. Please don’t think that I believe you incapable of taking care of yourself, but I’d be able to concentrate better if I knew you weren’t alone.”
“I understand. I’ll be good.”
Brett relaxed with a soft smile. “First chance we get, you and I are heading to the city to raise the kind of hell that will turn my husband’s hair white. Promise?”
“It’s a date. But before I go, would you like to briefly explain what it was I just saw?”
“Yeah, about that. Sorry, it’ll take time to tell you properly. I will tell you, later though. I promise. Reutgers is one of my best deputies. He’ll take care of you. Reutgers, this is my friend, Amaryllis. She’s family to Kristos, and you know how he can get about the safety of his family. Treat her like gold.”
“Yes ma’am.” He turned toward Amaryllis and tilted his hat in greeting. “Ms. Amaryllis, may I escort you to my vehicle?”
“Oh my. Handsome and good manners. I’m impressed.�
� She hooked her elbow with his and cupped her free hand around his biceps. “Please, lead the way. Do you have a first name, Deputy?”
A pink flush darkened his cheeks. “It’s Rhett. But everyone calls me Reutgers.”
Why was he embarrassed about his name? With his short military haircut and strong jaw, she thought it was quite fitting. “Mother a Gone with the Wind fan?”
“No. My grandmother was a Clark Gable fan. I think I would have preferred Clark over Rhett.”
“I like it. Rhett’s a very bold name, unusual and has great impact. It suits you.”
The flush darkened. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Amaryllis.”
They arrived at his squad car where he opened the passenger door. “All right. That’s an unusual name too. Very pretty. Like you.”
She offered him a warm smile as she sat upon the seat. He closed the door and came around to slide behind the wheel. As he started the car and began the journey to Brett’s house, she turned in her seat to give the officer her full attention. From the corner of his eye, his gaze slipped down to the generous amount of cleavage she sported. His hands tightened on the wheel before he snapped his focus back to the windshield and swallowed hard.
Never let it be said that she was opposed to using any means necessary to obtain what she wanted.
“So, Rhett,” she began, “what happened back there? Who was that man in that crazy suit?”
“Oh that.” His shoulders relaxed as if talking about a masked crusader was more preferable than being the object of her attention. “We all call him the Chameleon, because of the way his suit blends in with the surroundings. Whenever someone is in need, he appears out of nowhere, saves the day then disappears just as quick as he arrived.”
“He’s a vigilante?”
“Used to be, but Sheriff Briggs put an end to that right quick. You could say that he’s more of a good Samaritan.”
“And he’s always in the suit?”
“Yep.”
“And no one knows who he is?”
“That’s right.”
Seriously? How many men were crawling around Cedar who were six-and-a-half-feet tall with broad shoulders, a tapered waist and a mouth that begged to be softened with slow kisses? If there was more than one, she’d have to pack her bags and move out here permanently.
“How come I’ve never heard of this Chameleon? Why hasn’t he been in the news?”
“The local paper ran a few stories on him, but I guess the idea is so crazy the bigger papers didn’t pick up on it. Plus folks around here like the idea that the Chameleon belongs to the people of Cedar and want to keep it that way. Especially the ladies.”
It was soft, but the bite of jealousy at the end of his sentence plucked at her awareness. “Popular, is he?”
“If it’s not the Kilsgaard brothers they’re panting after, then it’s the Chameleon.”
Yes, that would be quite a tough act to follow. “I don’t know, Rhett. I’m sure some of them think rather dirty thoughts about you too.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed again. “I—I don’t know about that.”
“Why not? You’re a handsome man with a strong jawline and deep, dark eyes. And women love a man in uniform. But do you know what the Chameleon has that you could have as well?”
“What?” He might have been playing it cool a moment ago, but once she dangled the carrot in front of him, his hunger for knowledge blew that façade to smithereens.
“Confidence. He strode right up to that fire without a moment’s hesitation. Displays of courage are highly arousing.”
He uttered a shaky laugh and readjusted his grip on the steering wheel.
“I saw that same confidence in you earlier when that fire was burning. You knew exactly how to control that crowd. The shy man I see before me now was not who you were then.”
“That’s different. In my job I know exactly what to do and say. It’s different with women.”
“Yet you’re speaking to me just fine.”
“That’s because I know who your family is and that they’ll hand me my ass on a platter if I act on any of the thoughts I’ve been having about you.”
She laughed and relaxed back in her seat. “Then show that side to another woman. Be the man you are inside the uniform when you’re out of uniform. Trust me, a smart woman will be honored to be on your arm.”
“I’ll try.”
“No, Rhett. Do.”
He flashed her a rueful grin. “Right. I will.”
Satisfied that the message was received, she jerked in her seat with a gasp. “Oh, my phone.” She withdrew her cellphone from her skirt pocket and looked at the blank screen. “Lucian sent me a text. He’s home now. Could you be a dear and take me to his house instead of Brett’s? Then you wouldn’t have to wait for him to meet us there before returning to assist her.”
“Sure thing, Ms. Amaryllis.”
Lucky for her, Lucian’s car was parked in the driveway, lending credence to her little lie. He was home all right, but she’d bet her last stiletto he didn’t want her to know.
Reutgers moved to turn off the cruiser. “I’ll see you inside.”
“No need for that. You can watch me until I enter. How much trouble can I get into walking across the lawn?”
He smiled that crooked grin of his that made his eyes sparkle. “I have a feeling trouble follows wherever you go. That’s why the sheriff asked me to watch you.”
“Smart man. But I’ll be fine, really.” She leaned across the seat and bussed his cheek with a quick kiss. “Thank you for the ride, and remember, confidence, twenty-four-seven.”
“You’re welcome, Ms. Amaryllis. I hope to see you again.”
“Me too, if you’re not too busy beating away your admirers.”
“Right.” He laughed.
She hurried to the porch and offered a cheerful wave after she opened the front door with the key Dhavin had given her. As soon as she was inside the house, all frivolity faded and she stood in the foyer, reaching out with her powers. The only presence she detected was of one turbulent male whose emotions rolled from euphoric to despondent like an ocean tide during a storm. The sound of water rushing through the pipes brought her gaze up to the ceiling and an anticipatory grin curled her lips.
Lucian? In the shower?
“Perfect,” she purred.
Slipping off her heels, she tiptoed up the stairs and down the hall to Lucian’s room. The door was slightly ajar. How convenient.
The uneven splish-splash of the water as it sluiced off his body blew her focus to hell. Why was she here again? Right, question Lucian about this Chameleon character. To think, he had issues with her extracurricular activities. At least she wasn’t purposefully placing herself in danger or exposing her powers. What exactly was his game, and why hadn’t she thought of it first?
Splish. Splash. Splash-splash.
However…
A tremor shook her shoulders and her thighs became slick even as she struggled to temper her desire. There wasn’t a living soul who knew what the next few moments would bring, but one thing was for certain, once Lucian stepped into this room, her life was never going to be the same. There was so much to be said, so much to do, change was inevitable. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, making the colors in the room appear sharper and her teeth chatter with anticipation.
The water shut off and Amaryllis drew a deep breath to slow the rapid beat of her hearts and block any telling emotions. So far Lucian gave no indication he knew she was close, and she wanted to keep it that way until the last possible moment.
Lucian strode from the bathroom, dripping wet with a towel draped over his head. Droplets of water clung as if loath to evaporate from his bronze skin. She couldn’t blame them.
He lifted his head and jumped with a shout when he spotted her leaning against the dresser. He cupped the towel over his crotch, like that did anything to hide the erection that was rapidly growing by the second. “Ah! Amary
llis. I—what—I—”
“No.” She waggled her finger at him. “No stammering. No stuttering. No hedging. No lies.”
He swallowed hard. “What do you want?”
A tittering laugh welled from her throat. “Oh Lucian. I want so much. But first, you will tell me why I saw a man dressed in royal armor play superhero not more than thirty minutes ago.”
His lips thinned and he swallowed again. “Let me get dressed first.”
“Please don’t cover up on my account.” Her gaze lingered on the tented part of the towel.
“Amaryllis.”
“No.” She shook her head. “No. Talk. Now.”
He chuffed out a frustrated breath and stroked his jaw. “It’s nothing really. Kristos didn’t like how Brett’s job put her in danger. He tried to keep her out of harm’s way and wore the armor while he was doing it. A while ago she was trapped underground during a rescue and he saved her, spawning the Chameleon.”
“And now you wear the mantle?”
“Not all the time. Kristos and I take turns to throw off suspicion. And the Chameleon only appears when there is a desperate need.”
“Like earlier.” She took one small step toward him, then another, approaching as one would an easily frightened animal. “You saved that child, Lucian. And who knows how many more by keeping that fire from spreading.”
“I felt that child’s pain from ten miles away. I had to do something.”
“You’re a hero, Lucian.” She paused, mere millimeters away from his bare chest. “If I was that boy’s mother, I would drop to my knees and offer you anything you wanted.”
“A—” He cleared his throat. “Thank you is sufficient enough.”
“Tell me about your last lover.”
He blinked, clearly confused by the change in subject as the furrow in his brow deepened. “What?”
“Your last lover. Rumor has it you’ve gone a long time without female companionship, even though you weren’t lacking for willing participants.” She trailed her finger along the edge of her low-cut blouse. Her nipples tightened when his gaze followed the movement. “Why?”
“Your Highness,” he began but she stopped him with a hand across his mouth.
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