Mystic Luck (Mystic Tides Book 2)

by Kate Allenton

  “How about we start with the hardest location?” he suggested.

  She shook her head. “The waterfall is on this side of the island. We start with that one, then hit the volcano in the middle of the island, and then try to figure out the last. I’d rather hurry and get the first two and have time to spare figuring out the last.”

  They both lathered up with sunblock and bug spray after reaching the shore. Danny shrugged his backpack on with the water, snacks, blankets, towels, and some clothes. He also grabbed the small tent from the boat while she carried the backpack her mother had packed them. There was a soft breeze on the air with the sun slowly rising. Even in March, the weather was marginally hotter than normal, and by lunch, they’d be ready to take a dip in the springs.

  The trees were tall and would provide a little bit of cover, but even as much as that would help, he worried about the things they might encounter.

  “So I guess this is our first date,” he said jokingly, following behind her toward the tree line. He lowered his gaze to her ass, taking the time to appreciate the view.

  “This isn’t a date.” She continued heading into the forest.

  She was right. This wasn’t any way to win her over. She hadn’t grown up knowing that he existed. All of the excitement was one-sided.

  The terrain was worse than he’d imagined. An hour in with idle chitchat and he must have reached for her a dozen times to try and help her over fallen trees and through the rough terrain. Each time her look had turned more determined, more aggravated, and they weren’t even to the waterfall. He was dreading the conversation when he told her that he’d be the one going down into the volcano. Her life was more important than him losing his ability by touching the stones. He had time to ease her into agreeing.

  They’d only stopped a couple times to eat and for breaks during their trek to the waterfall. Both of their stomachs were growling, and the sun was slowly setting, leaving them with a sliver of rays coming in through the trees.

  She dumped her backpack onto the ground as she stared at the water cascading over the cliff from above. She wiped the sweat from her brow, effectively leaving a smudge of dirt on her face. “It took twice as long as I thought it would take to get here.”

  He dropped his pack and ran his thumb over the smudge. She stared up into his eyes, a look of apprehension on her face. “You have a little smudge.”

  “Thanks.” Her eyes were crystal blue, more beautiful than the waterfall she was standing in front of. They were mesmerizing, and he found it hard to look away and even harder not to pull her into his arms and kiss the worry from her face.

  “The brush was thicker than we planned for,” he said, resting his hand on her cheek. The need to touch her, to help her, was somehow ingrained in his core. The passion and need was all one-sided and directed at her.

  She swallowed before dropping her gaze and stepping away from his touch. “We need to find the stone and make camp before dark.”

  Danny ran his hand over his face and into his hair before he dug into his backpack for a bottle of water and took a swig. He almost choked as he watched Lucy strip out of her clothes.

  He swiped the water that seeped dripped from his mouth like a dog drooling. “Are we going skinny-dipping?”

  She glanced seductively over her shoulder and grinned. His gaze took a slow detour down her body, unable to look away. The black lace bra and panties cupped every delicious curve he hoped to explore.

  “Get your mind out of the gutter, Romeo. You can set up our tent and look for some wood while I go find the stone. The page in the book indicated it was behind the waterfall.”

  “Right.” He nodded and looked away. “Tent and kindling. I can do that.” He turned as he heard the swish of water. “How are you going to know which stone it is?”

  She shrugged. “I’m hoping it’s a one-of-a-kind.”

  Danny couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she slowly waded into the pool toward the waterfall. Each step was slow and calculating, and his heart raced with the need to follow behind her. When she reached the cascade of water, she held out her hand into the pouring stream and turned back to him with a grin that lightened his heart. “It’s the perfect temperature; you should take a swim and cool off when you have everything set up.”

  Was she offering to swim with him? “Is that your way of saying you want to see me undressed?”

  Laughter erupted from her lips before she disappeared behind the wall of water, effectively blocking his view.

  Danny pitched the single tent. Their sleeping quarters were going to be tight. He grinned and wiggled his brows. He couldn’t have planned better if he’d been the one to put a tent on the boat. He gathered wood for the fire while Lucy was still behind the wall of water. He waited patiently, every few minutes turning in that direction in hopes that she’d resurface. When he was finished with making camp, he slid out of his pants and tossed his shirt. Anxiety ate at his gut. What if she was hurt? Would he hear her screams over the noise of the water cascade?

  He headed directly into the water, diving under to cool off as he made his way to the falling stream. He ducked underneath and emerged into a darkened cave. There was no Lucy in sight.

  “Lucy,” he called out. The echo of his voice filled his ears, and he waited for a reply. There was none. He eased on top of the slippery rocks, climbing up into the cave opening, and followed the rocky path beneath his feet. The air was thick and suffocating. The sound of the stream at the opening was loud, drowning out all other sounds. He wouldn’t have been able to hear her screams for help. That was for sure.

  He twitched his fingers together to produce a fireball in his palm for light before following the winding rocky path. The walkway grew wider as he neared a large opening. He stepped inside and found Lucy in the middle of what looked like a hidden pool of water. The crystal-clear water showed a million colored stones at her feet.

  “And you thought this would be quick?”

  Her gaze shot to the opening. “You shouldn’t be in here. If you touch the wrong thing, it could suck away whatever abilities you have.”

  “I’m a fire starter, like Grey.”

  Her mouth parted. “Me too.”

  “A perfect pair,” he said while walking around the ledge of the circular pool, careful to stay out of the water. “You’re looking for a needle in a haystack.”

  “I know.”

  He could read the defeat in her eyes, but he refused to leave her to figure this out alone. “Your ancestors were smart women. I’m sure they left a clue besides what’s in the book.”

  Danny held his fireball, illuminating the walls. There were a few etches. They weren’t the first to explore these caves. That didn’t bode well either. What if someone had already taken what they needed?

  He moved slowly around the cave while she dove beneath the water in search of her stone. He stopped at the far end. The drawing on the wall was one he knew well. It was the same as the one on the cover of her family book.

  “I was right.” His words made her pause as she resurfaced. She waded over to the edge where he was standing. He held out his hand to help pull her out. He pointed to the crudely sketched emblem that was depicted on the cover of Lucy’s family book. Beneath it was a triangle. The picture they’d been sent with had been poorly drawn and was more rounded. The stone they needed wasn’t circular like most of the pebbles in the bottom of the wading pool. It was a triangle.

  They both spun around. She headed one way as he walked the other, slowly making their way around the pool’s edge. His eyes swept the bottom for anything resembling the triangle. Against the edge sat three brown stones, not like the colorful ones that filled the pool. “I found it.”

  “Don’t touch it!” She jumped into the pool and waded to his side. “No wonder no one took it yet. It’s dull and lacks luster compared to the other beauties.”

  She picked it up and held it up to her face. As if by the touch of her fingers, the stone turned instantly from a di
ngy brown to shining crystal-clear quartz. “It was hidden in plain sight. It’s hard to believe that this is one of three that will suck my excess energy and keep me from destroying life as we know it.”

  She headed toward the other side of the pool near the opening of the cave when Danny slid down into the water. He slowly walked over the rocks until he found exactly what he was looking for. He squatted and picked one up, holding it up into a stream of light from the opening above. It was perfect; the exact shade of Lucy’s eyes. A memento to keep and treasure from their quest.

  “Are you coming?”

  “Yeah,” he said, following behind her, back out from the waterfall and to where he’d set up camp.

  She rooted through her bag and took out the box with the same symbol that was both written on the wall and on the cover of her family book. She wrapped it in a piece of fabric and shut it inside before grabbing a towel and running it over her face. “One down, two to go.”

  Danny dried off and changed clothes before he started a small fire with a bolt from his hand into the wood he’d collected.

  “I got worried.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, sitting on a log. “I would still be in there if it wasn’t for you figuring out their clue.”

  “Figuring out clues is another check to put under the pro column.”

  “Pro column?”

  “The one you’ll make before you decide to marry me.”

  A grin split her lip as she dug into the backpack and pulled out two granola bars. She tossed him one and tore into the other. “What about you? You seem so sure that I’ll make you happy, but you don’t even know me.”

  “I’m learning.” He pulled out a blanket and spread it on the ground. He held out his hand to gesture her over, and she went willingly. She sat down beside him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into the crook of his arm, right where she belonged. “You’re smart, you’re beautiful, caring, a bit headstrong, but I wouldn’t have wanted any less.”

  “That doesn’t make wife material,” she said, looking up into his eyes.

  “Grey and Beck started as enemies who turned into lovers. Anything and everything is possible for us if you just give us a chance.”

  That was all he needed, just time and for her to keep an open mind so she could see how good they could be together. He kissed her forehead, staying clear of her succulent lips before he did something they both might regret. He turned his gaze and thoughts back into the embers of the crackling fire and the warmth it provided.

  Chapter 8

  Lucy woke with a start. A breeze teased her skin as Danny’s arms tightened around her. They’d both lain down in each other’s arms last night instead of in the way-too-small cramped tent. He’d been a gentleman, never making any other move but to hold her and keep her warm. The clouds in the sky overhead were drifting by faster. The dark, angry spots warned of rain.

  Her hand was resting on Danny’s chest. The feel of his heartbeat against her body calmed her. Lucy didn’t move, even though she knew she should. They had a full day’s hike in front of them. Her birthday was nearing. Only three more days to get everything figured out, and something told her they were going to need it when looking for the last stone.

  Danny rested his hand over hers as if he could read her dilemma.

  “Just one more minute,” he whispered with his eyes closed.

  “Today is the volcano,” she whispered back.

  Danny turned and pressed a tender kiss into her hair. “I know. It’s probably the most dangerous of the three stones.” He rolled to lean over her. His gaze softened while he caressed her face, moving a strand of hair behind her ear. “You need to let me collect this one.”

  She searched his eyes. He was worried, hell she was too, but what he was asking was something she couldn’t give. “This is my quest, not yours, Danny.”

  “I can’t in good conscience let you go into the mouth of a volcano alone. My mother would kick my butt, and Beck would never let me hear the end of it.”

  Lucy rested her palm on his cheek, and her gaze softened. “I might need you to pull me out. Both of us going down isn’t very safe or smart.”

  He pressed his lips to hers in a slow, sensual kiss that stole her breath. Her heart raced as he tilted his head. He tasted and gave, and she took, wanting more if only things were different. He slowly broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. He licked his lips. His eyes were filled with promises. His sultry voice was deep and sensual, sending a ripple of awareness through her body.

  “I’ll never get enough.”

  “You say that now.” She held his gaze, searching for answers to questions she hadn’t asked. If only that were their only problem.

  “I’ll say that always.” He moved off her. “Let’s pack up. We can discuss who’s going into the volcano on the way.”

  And by discussing he meant that he’d argue his case and try to convince her the entire way through the forest and brush to get her to give in. As if. The arguing only solidified her resolve. There was no way she’d let the stone suck away his ability, much less risk his life when it was hers already on the line.

  The trek from the waterfall to the volcano wasn’t as challenging as the one the day before. There wasn’t much in the way of animals on the island. Birds and a few reptiles and bugs, nothing for either of them to worry about. The trees thinned the closer they came to the volcano’s coordinates, giving them much less to cut and work their way through. What was supposed to take a day and a half to reach had taken only the entire day? The wind was blowing harder now as thunder rumbled in the sky. The rain she’d suspected was closing in on them. The pain in the joints in her knees were her telltale sign that they were about to get torrential rain.

  “It’s going to rain,” she said as they walked out into the clearing. The last cascade of sunlight was dipping below the horizon. The rainbow streams of color that she’d seen in town coming out of the gutters were rising from the mouth of the volcano into the night sky. Whatever was causing it to happen in town was making it happen on the island too.

  Danny pointed off to the left. “We’ll make camp in that cave tonight, out of the elements.”

  Lucy followed Danny toward the caves and climbed up the rocks until they were standing at the opening. He pulled a knife out of his bag and dropped it on the ground before lighting a fireball in his hand. “Wait here while I make sure no one is home.”

  He didn’t have to tell her twice. The idea of spider webs or snakes hiding out in the dark made a shiver quiver down her spine. She dropped her bag on the ground and climbed out of the cave and headed for the volcano. The need to know what was causing the rainbows and what it meant for her crystal was eating away at her mind. She started up the slope, glad that her steps were like walking on wet, packed, dried-out mud and not the hard, charred, dried-out embers of lava.

  She glanced around the higher she climbed. Trees and vegetation surrounded this tall hill. There was no sign that a volcano had even erupted. No destructive path or growth of newborn baby trees. She finally reached the crest and starred down. A smile split her lips as a bubble of laughter erupted from deep in her chest.

  Danny appeared by her side ten minutes later.

  “There’s no lava, no fire. It’s not a volcano,” she said, still smiling.

  “What the hell is that?” he asked.

  She slid a sideways glance his way. “Do you see the colors?”

  “You mean the ones swirling at the bottom?”

  “Yeah,” she said, returning her gaze. “I need to get down there and get the piece the colors are swirling around before the storm comes and floods this place. I should be able to make it down that slope and back up. It doesn’t look too steep.”

  “And what if the rain starts? The sides of these walls will turn to mud and cover you.”

  “If I don’t go now and it rains, then it’s possible it will bury the stone, and I can’t risk that chance.”

  �
��Lucy, they buried the stone a long time ago. What’s to say that it’s not already buried?”

  She pointed down to the floor where the rainbow energy streams circled. “The rainbow is either coming from that stone or was put in place by my ancestors. I have no idea if it’s even possible to get buried, seeing as how it’s still sitting right on top all these centuries later.”

  “That’s why you should wait.”

  She shook her head. “If I don’t go now, the slope will be too much like wet mud for me to be able to climb back out of. I have to go now, or we’ll lose an entire day waiting for the mud to harden again.”

  Lucy didn’t wait for him to agree. She sat down on her butt and slid down the embankment as if she were a kid on a slide. The climb back up was going to be one hundred percent worse than the easy way down. Why in the world hadn’t they thought to pack a rope?

  “Are you crazy!” he yelled from above.

  She landed with a thud on her butt. The swirling colorful energy tingled her skin as she rose to her feet and walked straight through it. With each step she took toward the center, the energy drained from her body. “This colorful stuff is sucking my energy.”

  “Get out, Lucy.”

  She trudged forward until she had the stone in her grasp. Like the other, it was a triangle, only this one had a heart-shaped hole. She slipped it inside her cargo capris and zipped up the pocket for safekeeping before she hurried as best she could to get out of the swirls of colors.

  “I think this place is spelled or something.”

  She started the climb up the side. With every inch, the climb got harder, and her breathing turned labored. She was three-quarters of the way up when she glanced up and met his gaze. “I need to rest.”