by Sandy James
Adventure. Gina had convinced Sarita life as an Amazon would be an adventure. No wonder—it was the same tack her Aunt Carla had taken every time she uprooted Gina yet again to go off seeking some new destination.
The irony hit her. Avalon moved all the time, yet it still stayed the same. It was the only place Gina ever felt she belonged, something she’d longed for her whole life.
She might as well have been a nomad when growing up. The gypsy in her drove Carla to travel, to always look for something new, something exciting. At least that was what she’d said. Until Gina hit high school age, life had been one move after another, and she learned never to get settled too awfully much. If she formed friendships, it only made leaving all the harder. Everyone she’d ever loved had been left behind. So she’d been a loner.
Until she met Sarita.
Her sister ran across the compound, her long black hair flying behind her, tinted blue in the moonlight. Gina opened her arms, and Sarita flung herself into her sister’s embrace. For once, Gina reveled in a sign of affection, needed this sign of affection.
She’d almost forgotten how small her Amazon sister was, every bit as short as Gina was tall. Rubbing her chin against Sarita’s thick hair, she had to fight the urge to weep. Shit, she felt like she had hopped on some ridiculous emotional rollercoaster, and she was damned ready for the ride to stop. She absorbed the calm and inner strength Sarita seemed to have in bushel baskets, letting her sister’s grace become her own, just as Sarita could always draw on Gina’s tenacity and spunk.
Damn, she was grateful to be back home.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Sarita said after Gina found the inner strength to turn her sister loose. She stared at Gina’s face. “Ouch. Nice fat lip. What happened?”
“Fell after a jump.”
“You never fall.”
“Yeah, well, I was carrying a lot of dead weight.”
“So when are you going to tell me about how much you like your ‘deadweight’?”
Gina raised her eyes to the sky. She should have known. It wasn’t like either of them could keep secrets from the other. Rebecca and Megan shared the same kind of mental bond, instinctively knowing what was happening in their sister’s life. Gina had trained with Sarita while Rebecca had trained with Megan, so their connections weren’t surprising. Gina considered Rebecca and Megan family. Sarita, on the other hand, was the twin of her heart.
Of course Sarita would know about her feelings for Zach.
Gina lied anyway. “It’s nothing. Really. Nothing at all.”
Sarita snorted a laugh. “Sure it is. Keep telling yourself that and you might believe it.”
“Okay, so it’s not...nothing. It’s—it’s immature. It’s adolescent. It’s...complicated.”
“No, it’s not. It was complicated when Rebecca fell in love with a Sentinel. It was complicated when Megan fell in love with the other Sentinel. What you’ve got is the opportunity to spend some quality time with a guy you like in—” her gaze floated around the Avalon compound, “—paradise.”
Gina scowled before she could stop herself. Sure, the situation sounded ideal. A guy she was hot for, a guy who seemed to want her as badly as she wanted him, was there for the taking. And if things got too heavy between them, if he clung too tightly, then she could have Ix Chel wipe his memory and send him back to San Francisco once the Amazons got rid of Sekhmet’s threat.
So why was she hesitating? Why wasn’t she sitting at the foot of Zach’s bed, waiting for him to wake up enough she could pounce on him?
Because, much to her surprise, she wanted something more than a lover.
How ironic. The goddesses gave the Amazons sexual freedom—freedom from disease and pregnancy—so they could enjoy the carnal pleasures of a life that would probably be short. Yet none of this generation of Amazons took advantage of that freedom. She didn’t want a one-night stand, and the mere thought of Zach forgetting her made her heart feel as brittle as shattered glass.
“Oh...” Sarita’s mouth stayed in an O as she looked from Gina to the cabins and back again.
“Oh, what?” Gina tried to feign an indifference she didn’t feel. Why was she trying so hard to keep her emotions hidden from Sarita?
“Just...oh.” She reached out and took Gina’s hand before she started dragging her toward Zach’s cabin. “C’mon. I want to see the guy who finally got to you.”
* * *
Beagan and Dolan were leaving the cabin when the women arrived. Sarita held the screen door open for them. They both thanked her, bowed to the Amazons and then scurried out. They shifted into rabbits not more than twenty feet away from the door.
Zach lay sprawled on the bed, a soft snore rising from his open mouth. When Gina sat down on the edge of the mattress, he gave a sleepy sigh and rolled toward her.
He was a handsome devil. Hair ruffled, that stray lock over his forehead. A light dusting of tan whiskers on his cheeks and chin. Long, dark eyelashes.
His hand shot out to grab hers, and he pulled it to his chest, cradling it against him.
“He’s still as groggy as a town drunk,” Richard said.
Why was he skulking around in the dark of the far corner? “What are you still doing here? I figured you’d want a shower and some chow.” Two things she was ready for as well.
He walked over to the bed and frowned, staring at where her hand was joined with Zach’s. “Waiting for you.” He pulled his gaze away and turned to Sarita. A smile lit his handsome face. “Hi, Shortstuff.”
“How are you, Richard?” Sarita asked, her eyes still fixed firmly on Zach.
Gina barely paid attention to their polite conversation, a bit amazed her worry for him hadn’t eased. The steady rise and fall of his chest comforted her, as did the warmth of his hand.
“Isn’t that right, Gina?” Richard asked.
“I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
Richard glared at her, leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. The leather jacket groaned and squeaked in protest. “He’s fine. You can let go of him now.”
Sarita’s gaze shifted from Gina to Richard and back again. As she always did when she was contemplating something, she tucked her long, black hair behind each ear. “What happened to him?” She nodded at Zach.
“One of my brothers shocked him.” Richard shifted his bulk so he could cross his left foot over his right ankle. “The dumb bastard keeps putting himself in the line of fire.”
“Seems to me it was your job to protect him,” Sarita shot back. “If he’s in the line of fire, you’re supposed to put yourself between him and the shock. Besides, the SOG who hit you would get rebound but good.”
“Like I’m taking a shock for Mr. Wizard.”
Richard needed a good smack..
Sarita threw Richard a frown Gina had seen far too many times when she’d been on the receiving end. Sarita thought Richard was wrong. So did Gina, but she blamed herself more.
Gina gave Zach’s hand a squeeze. “It’s not Richard’s fault, it’s mine. I was the one with Zach both times he got zapped.”
“Both times?” Sarita asked.
“Yeah, I really don’t think they wanted to kill him, though. Probably just wanted to incapacitate him, maybe knock him out so they can haul his cute ass back to Sekhmet.”
That thought sent a shudder ripping through her. Sekhmet was one scary Ancient, and from what Richard had told them, the Egyptian goddess would chew Zach up—literally—and spit him out without blinking an eye.
Sekhmet—the Destructor. The body of an Ancient with the head of a lioness. Scary shit, although Richard said she wore a human face most of the time. Richard claimed her mane of brown hair and dark skin made her a dead ringer for Tina Turner.
Tina Turner wasn’t created by the god Ra to destroy the world.
“Cute ass?” Richard’s scowl scorched her.
Gina ignored him.
Sarita grinned.
“Sekhmet nabbed one of h
is Toys,” Richard said, his voice quiet now. Probably because he knew each word would make Gina feel like an utter failure.
Softening his tone didn’t soften the blow.
“Yeah,” Gina replied, “and I was stupid enough to break the other.”
“C’mon, Gina, cut yourself some slack. You made a three-story jump with Poindexter on your back. You slipped and smashed his Toy when you saved his sorry ass. So what? He can fix it when he wakes up.”
“Toys?” Sarita furrowed her brow. “You two need to tell me exactly what’s going on. I was so busy following that guy in California—”
“Was he a SOG?” Richard interrupted. “I’d hate to think a guy that deep in computer software had been compromised. Shit, his operating system is on almost every computer in the whole damn world.”
Sarita shook her head. “Wasn’t a SOG. Just a geek. Came back here as soon as I was sure.”
The other Amazons were as much a part of this mission as she was. Sekhmet had to be stopped, and as long as the Sons of Gaia were her allies, the goddess held most of the cards in this high-stakes game
This was all Freyjr’s fault. Years ago, he’d answered Richard’s pleas to get him and his brothers off the island where Gaia kept them confined. He’d grown tired of year after year of sameness and craved human contact. Freyjr had given any Son of Gaia who swore his fealty to him a safe haven in what Richard called “The Playboy Mansion.” They could have anything they wanted, so long as they could have it delivered. If a SOG left the enchanted house, he could live only a few days before he’d be reduced to a shriveled mummy.
Freyjr sure knew how to keep their loyalty.
How Sekhmet found the mansion, no one knew. But found it she had, showing up one day and turning Freyjr’s brothel into her own cult. Now, the SOGs worshipped her, feeding her power and helping her plan the only goal she’d ever had—the one she’d been created for.
To destroy the world.
Hell, they weren’t even sure that was the goddess’s ultimate objective.
Sure, she was the Destructor. But did she want to end the world or just control it? All Richard knew for sure was that she’d set the wheels turning on a plan that had the potential to do both.
He’d escaped as soon as he realized the magnitude of Sekhmet’s ambition. He’d been her right hand, gathering information until he could find a way out. Once free, he called to Freyjr. The god ignored him. By the time Richard got Freya to listen to him, he was near dead. She’d saved him and brought him to the Amazons. They’d used his information to plan how to thwart Sekhmet’s plans to infiltrate the military and technological companies.
Unfortunately, since some SOGs could shapeshift into anyone, valuable time was being wasted ferreting out which of the potential technical targets she was truly after. Even now, they still weren’t sure of anything but her ultimate goal.
Despite all Richard knew about the Destructor, the Amazons were flying blind.
Perhaps now that Zach was in Avalon, he could lend his technological expertise to the cause.
When he awoke, his life was going to change from normal to Wonderland. He would meet the Amazons and the Sentinels. He’d have to get used to Beagan and Dolan and how quickly they could provide anything he wished for. How much of their magicks would they allow Zach to see?
“Oh, my God...”
“What’s wrong, Gina?” Sarita asked.
“What happens when one of the goddesses comes to Avalon? Or if Freyjr comes? What will Zach think?”
“But he already saw Ix Chel,” Sarita replied. “That went fine.”
Richard inclined his head at Zach. “Yeah, but Mr. Wizard there might as well be stoned, he’s so out of it. He won’t remember.”
“He thinks he saw Cher.” Gina smoothed her fingers across Zach’s cheek. “He’ll think it was just a dream. But what if... I mean—can you imagine what he’ll think if he sees Rhiannon? Or Freya?” There wasn’t a single way this situation could end well. “What’s gonna happen if Zach realizes Rebecca makes the trees dance and causes earthquakes when she’s pissed?”
Sarita tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Imagine what he’ll think when Megan gets pissed at Johann and throws a fireball at him? Zach won’t know Johann’s skin is Fireproof. It might scare the crap out of him.”
“You both worry too much,” Richard said. “Let him see whatever he sees. Who gives a shit? Why go to the trouble to hide it? When it’s safe for him to go home, Ix Chel will just wipe his memory.”
“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Gina snapped.
The burst of temper surprised her. Why was she so hostile at the thought of Zach having his memories removed?
The danger of his learning the Amazons’ secrets was obvious—a human couldn’t return to the world with that knowledge. Not only would it make him a target, but in the wrong hands, that information could be used to bring the Amazons down.
“We’ve got to protect him,” she announced. “We’ve got to keep him from having Ix Chel clear too many of his memories.”
“How do you expect to do that?” Richard asked.
“Simple. We tone down the magicks while he’s here.”
“You’re kidding.” Richard scoffed. “I’m not changing a fucking thing for him.”
Gina gently set Zach’s hand back on the quilt. “Yes, you are. We all are. The guy’s a genius. If my goddess has to wipe too much of his memory, it might change him. It might make him—I don’t know—less smart. I won’t take that chance. What he knows already isn’t a big deal. All we’ve gotta do is keep him from learning too much more. No matter what, Zach comes out of this mess whole.”
“Like I care. I’m not changing.”
Sarita moved in front of Richard and set her hands against her hips. “Yes, you are. If Gina wants us to scale down the magicks so Zach doesn’t have to get his brain scrubbed clean, then you’ll behave. We’ll all behave.”
Richard pushed away from the wall and rose to his full height, frowning down at Sarita.
Gina almost laughed. If he thought towering over Sarita would intimidate her, the man was sadly mistaken.
Sarita squared her shoulders and craned her neck to glare up at Richard. “If Gina asks us to, we’ll all behave.”
The stare-down didn’t last long. Richard blinked first, which didn’t surprise Gina one bit. With every single inch of her five feet of height, Sarita could intimidate the best of them—big or small.
“Fine,” he said. “Whatever. Not that it matters. When all this is over, he’ll go back to California, and Gina will go back to being an Amazon.” Blue eyes fixed on her, stern and cold. “Then things can get back to normal.”
A mocking laugh slipped out before she could squash it.
Richard narrowed his eyes.
“Normal? I’m Air. Sarita’s Water. You’re a Son of Gaia. We’re trying to stop Sekhmet—a goddess with the head of a lion—from destroying the whole fucking world. Since when is anything about any of our lives normal?”
“Then I’m right,” he countered. “There’s too much at stake to involve a civilian. Poindexter can’t be a part of your world. Maybe a nice brain wipe will do something to improve his annoying personality.”
“Goodbye, Richard.” Sarita pointed at the door.
He looked over at Gina.
She shook her head and dropped her gaze back to Zach.
“I said, ‘Goodbye, Richard.’” Sarita walked to the door and opened it.
With a heavy sigh, Richard left the cabin.
“Thanks,” Gina said.
“Yeah, well, you won’t thank me when you hear what I have to say.”
Gina got to her feet and went to stand by her sister. “Why?”
Sarita shut the door, took a long breath and blew it out slowly. “Richard’s in love with you.”
Hearing it thrown out like that, dramatic and naked, hit Gina harder than she’d thought possible. She didn’t need this now, and she sure didn’t want R
ichard to love her. Things were already difficult enough. “I don’t encourage him.”
“You don’t have to. He’s had it bad since he first saw you. Everyone knows it. Everyone, it seems, except you.”
Gina knew. Deep down, she’d always known. Life was just a hell of a lot easier if she ignored his feelings. At least it had been until Sarita had set the truth out there.
Richard was her friend. All he could ever be was her friend.
Zach was another story entirely.
“You need to tell him, Gina,” Sarita said, that husky, smoky voice of hers hard and parental.
Was she talking about Richard or Zach? “Tell him? Tell him what?”
“You need to tell Richard that you’re falling for Zach.”
She didn’t bother denying it and tried to avoid the topic by reaching over and taking off Zach’s shoes so he could sleep more comfortably. She placed them on the floor and slid them under the bed.
“It’s not fair leaving him hanging,” Sarita added. “Richard thinks he’s got a chance with you.”
“I’ve never encouraged him.” The denial sounded even worse the second time she said it.
Why did Richard have to complicate things? Why couldn’t they just go on being friends?
“You don’t have to encourage him. He’s around you all the time. And he feeds off you.” Sarita smoothed her hand over Gina’s shoulder. “Why don’t you let him come to me for a while? Or Megan? Even Rebecca.”
“Yeah, Artair and Johann would love that.” Gina snorted.
“Then I’ll take care of him.”
“No. No, he’s my friend. I’ll take care of him. You’re so little, you don’t have as much blood to spare.” The attempt to joke fell flatter than an egg under an elephant’s foot.
“What are you going to do about Zach?”
How was she supposed to answer that? “I’m going to let him help us stop Sekhmet.”
“And then?”
“What do you mean, ‘and then’? He goes back to his life, and I go back to mine. It’s not like there are any other options.”
God, it hurt so much to say it aloud. Hurt like hell. But Gina had always been a realist. Zach couldn’t belong to her world.
