What's Her Secret?

by Geraldine O'Hara, Natalie Dae, Nichelle Gregory, Crissy Smith, Lisabet Sarai

  “Please, I need some water,” Sabria said, lifting her face once again to Jai’s.

  A look of concern replaced the apprehensive frown marring his handsome features.

  “Of course, come in.”

  Jai led her into his apartment. The entryway of his place opened up to a sparsely decorated living room. The door clicked behind them as Jai walked into the kitchen. She took a few steps forward, taking in the space he’d been living in without her, pleased to find not a single picture of Melanie anywhere.

  “Here you are.” Jai came toward her with another bottle of water in hand.

  Sabria took it from him with a grateful smile, untwisted the cap and took in huge gulps, fully aware of Jai observing her, yet unable to slow down. More than half the water was gone when she drew in a breath.

  Jai lifted one eyebrow and the familiar gesture almost brought tears to Sabria’s eyes again. “Damn. You’re as thirsty as I am.”

  “There’s a reason for that,” Sabria said a little breathlessly.

  “Oh? And what would that be?”

  “Just a few minutes ago, you called me ‘Sabria’, when you only knew me as ‘Bri’. How did you know my full name?”

  Jai frowned. “Lucky guess.”

  Sabria shook her head as he stuffed one hand into his jeans pocket. “I don’t believe you.”

  “I don’t care what you believe—”

  “You learned my full name when you thumbed through your leather-bound journal.”

  Jai squeezed the bottle in his hand and the sound of the plastic collapsing almost made Sabria flinch. “What the hell? How could you know that?”

  “It’s true, isn’t?”

  Time seemed to freeze as Jai stared at her. “This is nuts. You’re nuts.”

  “Is it true or not, Jai?” Anger sharpened her tone. “I know it’s true. I can describe the diary to you, if you’d like.”

  Jai held up both hands. “No. Don’t.”

  “Good, because we’re running out of time.”

  “Out of time? Look, I’m not sure what the fuck is going here”—Jai glanced at his watch—“but you’ve gotta go.”

  “I can’t go. Not yet, Jai. There’s so much to tell you…to explain. It would be so much easier if we just…if we just…”

  “If we just what?” Jai asked when she couldn’t finish the sentence.

  Kissed.

  Her gaze dropped from the storm brewing in his eyes to his lips.

  “Look, my fiancée will be back any minute and there is no way I feel like trying to explain how I bumped into you again.”

  “You’re in grave danger and so is Melanie if you don’t start listening to me, Jai.”

  Jai stared into Sabria’s eyes, mesmerized by the sadness and conviction he saw in the shimmering green depths. As much as he hated to admit it, she didn’t look crazy. A little bedraggled, but not nuts.

  “You’re wearing the same clothes you had on yesterday,” Jai said, noticing the hint of color suffusing Sabria’s cheeks.

  Sabria sighed. “You’re not listening to me.”

  “I am. You said I’m in grave danger. What kind of danger, Sabria?” Jai loved the way her eyes widened when he said her name.

  He heard her sharp intake of breath while he held her steady gaze. The fading shock of finding her in his hallway was nothing compared to the overwhelming need to get closer. Jai ignored the voice of reason and leaned in toward Sabria. There were at least six or seven inches between them, but Jai was certain he could feel the heat of her body through his clothes. His cock hardened and he blamed it on the hungry look on her face as she stared back at him.

  Were those flecks of gold gleaming in those gorgeous green eyes?

  Sabria blinked with a tiny shudder. “I said you and Melanie were in grave danger. I know all about you, Jai. You’re wealthy, but you have no idea where or how you got your money. You don’t have any family. No close friends. No past that you can remember.”

  Sabria’s words hit him like a sledgehammer. He lifted his bottle of water as she watched him and cursed when he discovered it was empty.

  “Yeah, and that overwhelming thirst you have? Not exactly normal. Well, as far as it goes for Homo sapiens. How many bottles of water do you go through a day? Fifteen…twenty?”

  “Thirty,” Jai said faintly, lifting his hand to scratch at his five o’ clock shadow. “You’re good.” He wagged his finger at Sabria, ignoring her confused expression.

  “Excuse me?”

  Jai winked at her. “You are an amazing psychic. Is this the part where you ask for money?”

  “How dare you! I don’t want your money.” Sabria waved her hand and spilled some water from the bottle within her grasp.

  The delicate blush on her cheeks deepened and Jai almost felt bad for his sarcastic tone. He watched her take a sip of water from her bottle, noticing the tremor in her hand when she finished swallowing.

  Frustration set Jai on edge. Nothing was making sense and yet somehow he knew he could trust Sabria. She knew things no one could know and there was no discounting the fact she’d told him about her name written in his journal.

  “I’m not a psychic,” Sabria said quietly, averting her gaze.

  “No?”

  She lifted her chin and something twisted inside Jai’s soul when her extraordinary green eyes met his. “No. I’m your mate.” The golden flecks shimmered again, brighter.

  “What the hell are you talking about and what’s up with your eyes?”

  “I know how crazy all of this must sound, but you and I have been together for thousands of years. I am like you. I am your best friend, your lover…your kindred mate.”

  “Thousands of years?” Jai scoffed. “Okay, now you sound crazy, and I know you’re already aware that I’m engaged to Melanie. She’s about to become my future mate.”

  “No.” The ferocity she packed into that one word reverberated inside Jai’s head. “Melanie could never be your mate.”

  “She’s agreed otherwise. That’s how it works amongst Homo sapiens when you fall in love.”

  “She’s not yours to love.” Tears glistened in Sabria’s eyes. “I am.”

  He was moved by the depth of her emotion and pain. “Sabria, I don’t understand any of this.”

  “Kiss me,” Sabria pleaded, moving closer to him. “Just kiss me and I’m sure you’ll understand.”

  Jai’s gaze dropped from the tumultuous fire in Sabria’s eyes to the tempting, sensuous slant of her full lips. “I can’t.”

  “Please, Jai,” Sabria said, now standing only inches away from him.

  Her request was ludicrous, but what was even crazier was the urgent desire to do as she asked.

  “Kiss me, Jai.”

  The plaintive edge to her voice kicked up his internal temperature. Waves of heat uncoiled within as he reached for Sabria, unable to deny himself the pleasure he knew awaited them both. He grabbed her by the waist before he could further overthink what he wanted and yanked her hard against his body, using more force than he ever would have with Melanie. He wondered if he’d been too rough when Sabria moaned, but then he saw the look of rapture on her face and knew he hadn’t.

  “You need my kiss, Sabria?” Jai asked while winding one hand in her silken tresses. He pulled her hair with just enough tension, exposing the elegant column of her neck as he angled her face upwards. Tear-drenched lashes fluttered as she shuddered, drawing him closer.

  “Yes, I need it. Please.”

  “Shh…” Jai pulled her mouth closer to his. Her beauty and vulnerability made his cock rock hard as he flicked a glance over her heaving chest. He wanted to trace the outline of her full breasts and the nipples he could see through the thin sweater she was wearing. There were probably a hundred reasons he shouldn’t follow through, but at the moment he couldn’t think of a damn one. “You should never have to beg for a kiss, Sabria.”

  Jai lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers. She wound her arms around his nec
k as he deepened the kiss, tasting her, drinking her in. Her lips were softer than they looked, warmer and sweeter than he’d dreamt about last night. The coils of heat he’d felt within him unwound further, burned hotter. Every inch of his skin tightened in response to Sabria’s sweet taste. She felt so good in his arms, so incredibly perfect. She slid one hand over his shoulder, down his arm to slip beneath the sleeve of his shirt. Sabria caressed his forearm and he crushed her to him, holding her head in place with a tighter grip in her hair, so he could slake his thirst. He wanted more…needed all of her.

  “Oh my God, Jai!”

  Melanie’s strangled voice brought him back from the brink. He abruptly pulled away from Sabria, who groaned with frustration, to find his fiancée staring at them both, pure horror etched on her face.

  “Melanie—”

  “Jai, how could you kiss her?”

  Sabria slipped something into his jeans pocket as he released his hold on her without replying to Melanie.

  He didn’t have an answer. He also didn’t have any regret about kissing Sabria.

  Chapter Three

  “I’m going to go,” Sabria said, still struggling to regroup from Jai’s kiss.

  Melanie slammed the coffee tray containing two cups of java down on Jai’s dining room table. “Good fucking idea.”

  Sabria understood the other woman’s fury, but she wasn’t sorry. Jai was hers. Melanie just didn’t know that yet. “Time is running out,” Sabria said, moving past Melanie.

  “What the hell is she talking about, Jai?” Melanie asked.

  Sabria stepped out into the hallway just as Jai started talking, but she couldn’t make out what was being said as the door closed behind her. Her entire body still tingled from his kiss and her legs felt wobbly as she made her way out to her car. Once she was inside, she placed her head on the steering wheel.

  Sabria brought her fingers to her lips, still tasting Jai’s fierce kiss. More tears burned her eyes as she lifted her arm, pulled back her sweater to reveal the glowing, intricately designed markings that resembled tattoos. Jai’s kiss had awakened the ancestral blood within her. The markings coursed up from her wrists and ran all over her body. She ran her hand over the raised flesh, tortured by the realization Jai’s markings hadn’t reacted to her touch…to her kiss. She’d rubbed his arm where she knew markings lay and hadn’t felt anything and there had been no telltale glimmering hue that would’ve convinced Jai once and for all she wasn’t crazy.

  Whether he believed her or not, his body should have reacted to their kiss. Surely he’d been moved by their passion?

  Sabria wiped away the tears on her cheeks. She refused to believe he hadn’t felt the bond between them. He would look at the slip of paper in his pocket with her phone number and hotel address and come to her. She’d said enough for him to want to know more.

  With shaky hands, Sabria started the engine of the car, wondering how Jai would explain to Melanie what had just happened.

  He’s in love with her…that’s why his markings didn’t react.

  “No!”

  Her voice sounded hollow and strained in the confines of the chilly car. She didn’t bother turning on the heat as she cast another quick glance at Jai’s apartment building before driving away. Emotionally drained, it took considerable effort to stay focused and navigate through the heavy traffic.

  She would head back to the hotel, get cleaned up and wait for him. After everything the two of them had been through, she had to trust in the strength of their love.

  And if you’re wrong?

  If she was wrong, they would both die when their time ran out in four days.

  * * * *

  Sabria placed the fifth bottle of water on the nightstand with a frustrated groan. She scooted off the bed, turned off the television program she wasn’t watching and walked over to the window overlooking Grant Park. It was almost nightfall and the street lights were already on. There was some kind of festival going on and the park was filled with people.

  Cool air washed over Sabria’s legs under the gray sweater dress she’d put on after a long bath. She hadn’t bothered with panties or a bra and the soft fabric teased her nipples and caressed her body when she moved. Anyone entering her room would no doubt find it odd she had the air conditioner running on such a cool night, but Sabria reveled in the chilled air on her heated skin.

  Jai.

  Where was he?

  Eight excruciating hours had dragged by with nothing to do but ponder every possible ‘what if’ scenario running circles in her head. Her stomach growled, a reminder that she hadn’t eaten all day. She hadn’t wanted to leave the hotel once she’d gotten out of the bathtub and food had been the last thing on her mind.

  With a muttered curse, Sabria picked up the phone and ordered room service. She couldn’t survive on water alone…well, not indefinitely. As it was, a headache pricked at her already overwrought senses. Sabria lay back against the pillows and closed her eyes. She was so tired and lonely.

  Her kind did not usually mingle. Too many in one area decreased the amount of time they had, mate or not. She could pick up the phone and get in contact with an elder, but she was in no hurry to report her failure to find her mate. It would reflect badly on their love, the depth of their bond, and Sabria didn’t want that.

  She would wait a couple more hours before going back to Jai’s place. One way or another she had to get him to understand.

  The clock ticked rhythmically by the television, a constant reminder time was running out. She needed to sleep, to truly sleep, and that only happened in Jai’s arms. Fatigue weighed down her eyelids and she gave up fighting, allowing herself to drift into dreamland. She groaned moments later when a knock at the door roused her sleepily from the bed.

  She staggered to the door with her purse in hand to tip the concierge and opened it. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she stared up at Jai.

  “Jai!” she gasped.

  “We need to talk,” he said, brushing past her to step inside the room before she could say another word.

  Sabria closed the door behind them, turned around and found it difficult to stand still as his gaze swept up her bare feet and over her dress. She drank in the sight of him, devastatingly sexy in a sky-blue sweater and black jeans. He studied her as long as she did him, his eyes lingering on the swell of her breasts.

  “I want you to tell me again how you knew about that journal. Why your name is written on the pages.”

  “I know because of a secret. A secret we are bound to protect from all others.”

  She admired the way his light-colored pullover highlighted his brown skin and the dark jeans hugged his muscular thighs. She wanted to rush back into his arms and press her lips to his. Just being close to him set off a wildfire within her.

  “What are you talking about, Sabria? No more riddles.” Jai stepped up to her. “Tell me what this secret is. Say it plain as fucking day or I’ll walk out of this goddamn hotel room and never look back.”

  Sabria lifted her chin to meet his gaze. The fury in his voice made her pulse quicken as she drew in a breath and slowly exhaled. “We are not humans, Jai. You and I are phoenixes, born of myth, magic and now part of legends. We live a thousand years, perish and are reborn, but bonded phoenixes cannot survive a millennium without their mate and we are only given a certain amount of time to be reunited before we prematurely die. Our kind has survived through the ages because no one believes we exist.”

  Jai laughed. “You seriously expect me to believe what you just said? I mean, really…phoenixes?”

  The incredulous look on his handsome face would have been funny any other time. Sabria smiled. “I know it’s a lot to take in. Usually, you’d already know the truth…our truth. You’d understand that our bond is unbreakable even by death. You’re here now because that part inside of you that you’ve been trying to push back longs to be set free.”

  “I’m here because you seem to know something about this journal of
mine,” Jai said, pulling the leather-bound book from his back pocket. He flipped it open and pointed to an age-worn page. “I want you to tell me what this says.”

  Sabria took the book from Jai’s outstretched hand. She ran her finger over his bold script and the words she read brought tears to her eyes for the third time that day.

  “What does it say?” Jai asked.

  Sabria cleared her throat, taking a few seconds to speak through her emotion. “It says, ‘There will never come a time when my heart will not beat for Sabria. No matter how many times we perish in flames, we rise from the ashes stronger and more in love. She doesn’t know that her love has sustained me through many lifetimes of pain. I would die for her a thousand times more and it would never be enough.’”

  Her voice wavered on the last few words. She’d known about his journal, but she’d never read a single word. It had always been sacred to him and she’d respected that. Sabria lifted her face to meet his stunned gaze. She blinked and one tear slid down her cheek.

  “Sabria…”

  “I can’t read anymore.”

  Jai shook his head. “I don’t want you to.”

  Sabria barely held back a sob as she held out the journal to him. Reading his words after spending the night questioning his love for her had been just what she needed—an unexpected gift. Jai reached for the book and she trembled when his fingers brushed against hers. She snatched her hand away, overwhelmed by the depth of her love for him. It was killing her that he couldn’t remember.

  “Sabria, please don’t cry.” Jai hated the way she’d moved away from his touch and sadness overtook him as he watched her try to hold it together.

  His own raw emotions were further frayed after listening to her read his own words. After all the months he’d been dating Melanie, he hadn’t felt compelled to write such words for her. He cared deeply for Melanie, which was why he’d proposed, but somehow the connection he had with his fiancée was nothing compared to the depth of emotion Sabria evoked. It made no sense.