by Alix Sharpe
“Yes ma’am,” he said shoving the entire block of maybe-cheese into his mouth.
“Is that because you aren’t skilled enough to be a hunter? Where do you get your food anyway?”
He folded his hands behind his head and leaned against the tree at his back, chewing slowly.
Angeline rolled her eyes. Not that he could see her do it in the dark, but whatever.
He finally swallowed with an exaggerated gulp. “Been a vegetarian since before my balls dropped. Only thing I hunt is Elves. And no way I’m telling you where I get my food, Angelface. You’ll just turn right around and report me to the Masters. Gotta earn your Captain brownie points, right?”
“I don’t tell the Masters everything,” she grumbled, crossing her ankles out in front of her. “Just what they need to know. As important as you think you are, your dietary restrictions are pretty low on the list of topics to discuss with them.”
“Are you keeping something from the Masters?” he said, devilish grin flashing in the firelight.
“No,” she snapped. Little things here and there, but nothing noteworthy. She left her trouble making days behind on the other side of that Veil. Whenever she went back to Earth on leave, she always just kept her head down, checked in with the family, and came right back.
“Why are you a vegetarian then? Vanity?” she said. She needed to steer this conversation back towards him. “Does it make your muscles look tight bro? Don’t wanna put bad shit in your precious bod?”
“Ah you like these babies?” he said, twisting his head to kiss each bicep. “You enjoying this ‘precious bod’?”
She took a long pull from her canteen, refusing to give a response. Whatever she said, he would twist it somehow.
“Nah, that’s not why,” he said. “I’ve put plenty of bad shit in this body. I even had this prick-ass coach who got me hooked on the juice for a while…”
Now that did not surprise her. She popped the rest of her jerky in her mouth, waiting for him to finish. It’s not like she had to know or anything, it was just something to talk about.
“I just don’t like the idea of eating animals,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “I’ve done enough harm.”
Her eyebrows ticked together in surprise. She hadn’t expected that response.
“I grew up on a farm,” he said, “and on my twelfth birthday my pop decided it was time I became a man. He took me out to the chopping block and made me slaughter a chicken. I liked that chicken. Named her Barbara. But pop said I had to do it.”
Angeline sat in stunned silence. Five minutes ago, she would have guessed this dude’s diet consisted of nothing but beef and bacon. Her eyes drifted up his sinewy forearms, over his swollen biceps, all the way to his massive shoulders. Even his neck muscles popped. He definitely looked like the type who had to religiously chug a whole carton of eggs every morning before his workout and then put away an entire rotisserie chicken afterwards.
“So back to this precious bod…” he said, his chuckle low and suggestive.
“Oh stop.” She blinked and shook her head. Had she been staring? Yes, the little glint in his eye told her yes. She needed to end this, it was just the sheer exhaustion causing her mind to wander. “I’ve gotta take a leak, I expect you to be on better behavior by the time I get back.”
She pushed to her feet and took one step. A white-hot pain shot down her calf. She stumbled forward, steadying herself on the rock as she let out a pained hiss between her teeth.
Kallen was at her side in a second, hands under her arm, steadying her, brows crumpled. “You okay?”
“Cramp,” she wheezed, exhaling the pain. She tried again. Another spasm seared through her muscle. “Fuck!”
She spun around, Kallen assisting as she eased back onto the ground.
He scooted down beside her and snatched her leg, pulling it into his lap.
She reflexively tried to pull away, but all that did was send another stabbing pain coursing through her. “Let go,” she grumbled.
“Hold still,” he said, firmly. “I know what I’m doing.”
Her whole body went tense as he tugged her pant-leg up to her knee. Then slid his warm palms up her calf. A little tingle of unwelcome excitement zipped up her skin and shot straight down between her thighs. The breath hitched in her chest at the abrupt burst of want. She tried to control the flush in her cheeks as the heat in her core bloomed outward. For a moment, she debated slapping him… or maybe she needed to slap herself.
A little grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he trailed his smooth touch up her leg and back down to her ankle.
It felt good, too fucking good. If he didn’t stop—
He pressed his thumbs in deep and a split second of pain snapped her from her confused, lustful haze. Then her muscle released, and the pain began to dissipate. She felt the strained tissue starting to relax, melting under his fingers.
Who would have guessed the walking dick-joke actually had a gentle side? Plus, the vegetarian thing on top of it… maybe she had him all wrong, or at least, partially.
“My shit coach was good for something,” Kallen shrugged, seeing the surprise on her face, “least I know my way around a Charley horse now. You’re probably dehydrated, which makes it worse. Better drink up.”
Angeline tucked her mouth to the side and reached for her canteen. She pressed her lips to the rim and took a small sip.
“You’re going to need to drink more than that,” Kallen said, laughing.
Angeline bit her lip. “I can’t. I still have to pee.”
“Oh. Right. Uh. I’ll help. Here, stand up.” He set her leg down and reached out for her hands.
“I’m not having you help me pee.”
“Come here,” he said, urging her to take his hands. “I’m not going to watch, I’ll just help you over to that tree, then leave you be. I swear, no peeking.” He smirked. “Not that I haven’t seen you pantless already.”
“Ohmygod,” she said, gripping his hands a little tighter than was necessary, “I should just take a piss on your boots, teach you a lesson.”
“Careful,” he said, steadying her as she hopped forward, “some people are into that.”
She gave him a concerned looked.
“Not me,” he said, quickly, “I’m not into that. Just some people.”
“Sure,” she said, reaching out for a low branch.
“Aren’t you going to ask what I am into?” he grinned.
“No,” she said, fidgeting with her pants, “but I am going to ask you to look away.”
“Ask? Or command?”
“KALLEN.”
“Okay, okay,” he said, raising his hands, turning away. “Maybe I should just let you hobble back by yourself.”
“Yes, please do that.”
“I’m kidding. I’m not going to leave you there. Just tell me when you’re done.”
“No,” she said, squatting down. “I’m fine. I ‘command’ you to go sit down and leave me in peace.”
“Fine, Fine,” he mumbled, walking away with his hands still held obediently in the air… his shoulder muscles straining through the back of his shirt, those pants, cupping that sweet, tight—
What the hell?! Why was she checking out his ass?
Angeline huffed, thoroughly irritated. With herself. With him. With the whole situation.
She had no idea how her soldiers were doing back at camp, she had no clue what all these changes with the Elves could mean, and on top of that, now she was completely vulnerable. No magic and a bum leg. Useless. Left at the mercy of a rebel meathead. Her mission was at stake and all she could do was gawk at said piece of man-meat. She had to knock it off.
She tugged her pants back up and took a step. What? No jarring pain? Just a little tender. How had a few minutes of massage done that?
“You done?” Kallen yelled from the other side of the tree. “You sure you don’t want me to come get you?”
“I’m fine,” she shouted back… bu
t really, she was anything but.
CHAPTER 6 – KYLE
The Captain looked back over her shoulder as she jogged ahead in the heat of late morning. “Come on, Kallen, get that ass moving!”
“Can’t stop thinking about my ass huh?” Kyle shouted back. Geez, maybe he shouldn’t have massaged out that cramp so good for her. The Drill Sergeant was 100% back in action. Meanwhile, Kyle hobbled along behind, struggling to keep up.
Angelface had mandated that they get across the plain quickly, she didn’t want them out there exposed. It was only about a mile, which normally would be no problem, but with that grueling 20-mile hike the day prior, Kyle was definitely feeling it. And her taunting wasn’t helping.
Kyle watched the back of her head as they pressed forward, her wild, sexy hair bouncing with each stride. But watching her now, it wasn’t just about the hair, or the face, or even that ass anymore. He was starting to wonder less about the temptingly touchable locks on top of her head and more about what was inside it. After all the ridiculous back and forth they’d had over the past 24 hours, he was starting to realize just how curious he was. Maybe he’d been traveling alone too long, but his intrigue had been stoked. He had to know what made this crazy Captain tick.
If he hadn’t seen her shattered blue amulet, he would have never known she was a Mage. That fiery attitude was all Salamander. The way she yelled, the way she cussed, the way she tried to one up every little thing he said. And, even though she hadn’t given into his charm (yet), the way she didn’t give two shits about being bare-ass naked in front of him suggested she possessed a certain kind of bold sexuality. An adventurous mindset in the bedroom could very well be the number one stereotypical Salamander trait. Yet, all that considered, she’d somehow been classed as a Mage.
When they finally broke for lunch he had about a billion questions rattling around in his head. He slumped down and dug into his pack. As he chewed in silence, the questions kept coming.
What did she do before she came across The Veil? Cop, maybe? Fire Fighter?
Did she always want to come fight the Elves? He shrugged. Of course she did. That girl was probably always a fighter, probably judo chopped the doctor on the day she was born.
What kind of sports did she play back home? Probably a swimmer. Sprinter in the off season. She obviously worked out, with that bod.
Did she have pets? If she did, it’d be something exotic, like a ferret or a big-ass spider.
Thong or commando? Oh, wait. He already knew that one. Neither. She wore those little shorts thingies. Made them look damn good, too.
But no matter how many questions he had, it didn’t matter. She would never answer them. Well, unless maybe he made a game out of it. And that’s just what he’d have to do. If he had one thing figured out about her, it was that she liked to win.
“Hey, Captain Angelface,” he said, gnawing on a handful of roasted almonds, “you wanna play ‘you answer me, I answer you’?”
“Is that the official game title?” she said, raising an eyebrow. She was in the middle of whittling a sizable piece of wood with her knife, so he was surprised she’d even bothered looking up.
“You know. Like I ask: ‘what’s your favorite drink?’ then you say: ‘red wine’ and I say:‘Mai Tais’.”
She snickered and kept carving. “First of all, red wine is completely wrong. Second, Mai Tais?”
“Yeah, I like the little umbrellas. Makes me feel like a giant.”
He waited, hoping she’d say something to the effect of ‘you are a giant’ to which he’d reply –
“Double IPAs,” she said, cutting off his thoughts. “Wine gives me a headache and I can’t even look at the hard stuff anymore.”
“So you’re game then?”
“Until I get bored of it. Or until break’s over.”
Finally. Now she had to talk about herself.
“Okay,” he said, sifting through the lengthy list of questions he’d compiled. “Why’d you come across The Veil?”
“I was recruited,” she said, dropping her eyes back to her woodworking. The way she said it made it clear she was done answering that question.
“Me too.” Maybe he shouldn’t have started with something so heavy. Most people who came through were running from something in some way. If he wanted her story he’d have to pump the brakes.
“What’s your favorite animal?” he said, snagging a couple crackers from his pack.
“Dogs,” she said. Guess he was wrong about the ferrets and the spiders. Still, even the way she said that answer made it sound like he’d asked a weighty question. Or it could be that she just really didn’t want to play. Probably that.
“Mine’s the human female,” he said, tilting his head back with a grin.
“Of course,” she grumbled.
“I’m kidding,” he said, “but they are at least top five.”
“Cute.”
“No, koalas are cute. Those are my favorite animal.”
She raised an eyebrow, apparently surprised.
He ran through a couple more questions in his head before choosing again. “What’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?”
She exhaled and shook her head, eyes bugging out as she continued to carve.
“Okay, now you have to tell me,” he said, “I can tell it’s a good one.”
She grunted and sighed again. “He tried to convince me to dine & dash, the owner overheard, called the cops, he punched the waiter, then we had to run. We hid from the cops behind a Taco Bell for 3 hours. In the rain.”
“Shit,” Kyle said, rubbing his chest uncomfortably. “All I had was a date puking in my lap. I’ve got nothing on that.”
“He was nothing,” Angeline mumbled, returning her attention to her whittling.
Kyle bit his lip and looked around. This was not going how he’d planned. Every question he forced her to answer seemed to dig up dark, shitty memories for her. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He needed something light, something simple.
He eyed the wood in her lap. “What are you making?”
“That’s not a question.”
He chuckled. “Technically, yes, it is.”
“You know what I meant, it’s not part of the game.”
“Who says? Lemme see it.” He leaned forward onto all fours and started crawling across the space between them.
Her eyes widened. She slid her knife back into the sheath on her hip and scrambled to get back on her feet.
She wasn’t quick enough.
Kyle’s hand shot out. He snagged her by the ankle.
She squirmed, but he was faster.
With a smirk, he pulled her whole body over to him by just her leg, rolling her onto her back.
“Hey,” she barked. She whipped her hand out and held the piece of wood out of reach.
He grinned and climbed over the top of her, straddling her tight body, caging her in with his legs and arms.
She reached up and shoved against his chest with her free hand, trying to knock him off balance. Good thing she was trying so hard to protect the piece of wood. Kyle knew she could have kicked his ass easily, if she wanted to.
He snatched her wrist with one hand and pinned it above her head. Then the realization hit him. He had Angelface trapped beneath him, the heat of her body pressed against his. An urge rolled through him, whispering for him to abandon the carving… to redirect his desires to the beautiful woman on her back below him, to taste her skin, those lips…
Angeline stopped struggling. For a moment, he thought he saw her lids lower, thought he felt her arms relaxing a little under his grip, thought he felt her breath deepen. Just for a moment. Then the she-devil took back over and she squashed whatever fleeting fantasy had possessed her. She resumed her fight to escape. But even with her head back in the game, she couldn’t hide that rosy glow on her cheeks.
He smirked. She might deny it until the end of time, but she was curious, at least a little. He shifted, partially to get close
r to the outstretched piece of wood, but mostly to hide the ‘wood’ of his own, straining at the front of his pants. She might want him, but he’d lose that battle immediately if she knew how much he wanted her.
With one last glance at her body pinned below him like that, he lunged forward, releasing her and snatching the piece of wood in the same instant.
“Hey,” she shouted again, scrambling to her feet, kicking up dust. “Don’t make me break your pretty face.”
Kyle sank back onto his ass and stared in awe at the creation she’d made with nothing but a hunting blade. It was one of those intricate, looping flower things that yoga chicks had on their t-shirts and water bottles. He didn’t know what they were called officially, but he recognized it, and he recognized her talent too.
“This is good shit,” he said, nodding towards her.
She didn’t respond.
He felt a little something dip in his gut. Maybe he’d overstepped. Most babes loved a good ol’ wrestle-fest. She must have really not wanted him to see her art. But, hell, it was so worth seeing.
“You shouldn’t be hiding stuff like this,” he said, waving the chunk of wood at her. “People pay good money for this crap.”
She didn’t acknowledge him. Actually. She wasn’t even listening. She was staring off at something behind him, her gorgeous face crumpled in confusion.
“What the hell…” she said, breezing past him. He turned as she dropped to her knees, studying something in the tall grass.
He crawled over to her side. She turned to face him, lifting her find. An amulet, but something was off. At first, he thought it might be a trick of the light, but as Angeline lifted it to the sun, neither of them could dispute it. This amulet was definitely the wrong color. They weren’t supposed to come in green.
CHAPTER 7 – ANGELINE
Emerald sunbeams danced through the center of the amulet as Angeline held it to the light. She stared in awe, the embarrassment of the steamy wrestling match dissipating rapidly, thanks to the mystery before her. This was no stained or faded blue Mage’s pendant, this was something else altogether. The tingling in her chest only grew the longer she stared. She had to know. She slipped the chain over her head and flicked her hand at her carving Kallen had left on the ground.
