by Helen Scott
Thad nodded, unsure where this was going.
“Do we have a map you don’t mind destroying?” Ellie asked, turning to Alec. He jumped up, presumably to retrieve the map.
“What are you thinking, Ellie?” Thad asked.
“Granddad had a spell in one of his journals for tracking that called for a liquid infused with magic and a map. Ye pour the liquid over the map, and the spot that remains dry even though the water has gone over it is the location of the item or person you seek.” Thad noticed that the vibrancy of her Scots accent had receded now that the crisis was over.
“Worth a shot,” said Alec as he came in from the hallway.
They unrolled the map onto the table. “It'll only work on the area in the map, so this will only cover the US. All right?”
“Good a place as any to start. Do you have a world map too, just in case?”
“Probably.”
“Thad, ye pull water in an’ form it onto the map and say ‘show me the woman I seek’ in Latin. Then the area that remains dry will be the general area of her location. We could do it again with a map of that area to narrow it down further, if you want.”
“Okay. My Latin is a bit rusty, but I think I’ve got it.”
Thad took a deep breath and felt the water of life pulsing around him, in the pipes, the ocean, his own body as well as those of Alec and Ellie. He pulled on his magic, bringing water from everything around him, except his family. The droplets condensed until a beach-ball-sized orb of water floated in front of him. He manipulated it over the map and spread it out so it hovered over the whole surface.
“Ostende mihi, illum mulierem quaero.” He let the water drop as he spoke, and it splashed down onto the map, soaking in like the map was a sponge instead of a sheet of paper.
Thad honestly hadn’t thought it would work. When he saw that the map was completely soaked, though, he didn’t know what to make of it. “So she’s not in the US?”
“It wouldn't appear so. Could ye go an’ grab the world map?” Ellie asked Alec.
Thad’s phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number. No one had his number except for a select few. So who the hell was this?
Chapter 4
Cin hoped Thad would answer. She’d berated Tony until he relented and gave her Thad’s phone number. If he didn’t pick up, then he’d be proving Tony right, that Thad didn't answer numbers he didn't know. She really didn’t want to have to go back and grovel for Tony to call Thad for her.
The ringing stopped.
Silence. Cin looked at her phone to see if the call was still connected.
“Hello?” Thad’s rich, husky voice sounded tired, but it sent a thrill up her spine when she heard it.
“Thad? It’s Cin.”
“How'd you get this number?”
“Tony. I had to pull out the pouty lip and puppy dog eyes, though, so don’t think he just goes giving your number out.”
Thad grunted.
“Listen,” Cin barreled on, pacing as she spoke, “someone sent something to our printer again. I know it’s for me, I just know it, but it’s all a jumble of letters. I can’t make any sense of it. Can you take a look at it? I’m worried it’s a demand from her kidnappers, or something I have to do to let the kidnappers know I’m willing to deal. I couldn’t take it if something happened because I couldn’t figure out the next step in this sick game they're playing, you know?”
Cin knew she had steamrolled him, but she’d been keeping these thoughts in all day. Now, she had an outlet, and they were going to come out whether Thad wanted them to or not.
“Sure. I can be at the shop in five.”
“Actually, I'd rather meet at my place, or yours, so that no one overhears us.”
“Uh, okay, we can meet at your place.”
Cin gave him the address and hung up.
She arrived at her apartment before Thad, which she was grateful for. Cin rushed in and cleaned up some of the take-out containers that had been sitting on the counter and lit a candle. Just as she shoved the trash down, there was a light knock at the door.
Thad had tried MacLeod's spell on the world map with no success before jumping close to the address Cin had given him. He wasn’t convinced Aster was dead, which was what the spell seemed to suggest. Both Thad and Alec stuck to the theory that she was magically shielded somehow. When Cin opened the door, his heart beat a little harder. Her eyes eagerly met his, turning his blood into fire in his veins. The apartment smelled of flowers and food. Thad tried to keep his gaze from staying fixed on Cin. He couldn’t focus on her and have any hope of maintaining a level head.
“Thanks so much for coming.” She beamed at him, and his body took notice—his pants started to become uncomfortably tight.
“You’re welcome. You said you think you got a note from the kidnappers?”
“Yeah.”
She pulled the note from the pocket of her jeans. She handed it to him, and it was still slightly warm to the touch. His mind filled with images of feeling that warmth underneath him as he kissed her, their tongues intertwined, as she pressed herself against him.
Control. He had to control himself around her, he repeated in his head like a mantra. One image kept swirling around no matter how much he tried to banish it. He couldn't stop thinking about kissing Cin’s plump red lips. He hadn’t imagined kissing anyone in centuries without it feeling wrong or making him panic, but strangely he didn’t feel uncomfortable when he thought about it with Cin.
Thad unfolded the paper in his hand. The top of the sheet had Eclipse printed in a larger font. There was a string of letters underneath it and then another few strings underneath that. After that it switched to a series of lines that all looked like unfinished squares. He suspected it was a code of some kind. His brother, Demetrius, would be the best person to look at this. Dem was a big, gruff guy, but secretly he loved puzzles. Code breaking had been a favorite past time of his during both world wars.
“It looks like it’s in code to me. My brother might be able to crack it, if you want?”
“Yes, I want. When can we go and see him?”
“Uh, I can take it to him tonight, but I have some errands to do first.”
Guilt flashed through his system. Thad turned away from her so he could lie more effectively. He moved over to the window, desperately trying to give himself some space from Cin and the feelings she conjured within him.
Thad’s eyes roamed over the apartment, anything to avoid looking at Cin. Some delicate black lace caught his eye, and he realized he was staring at a bra she’d left on the floor. Thad knew the gauzy fabric would only highlight the art on her skin. His mouth watered as he imagined sucking on her nipples through the material. He felt like a teenager again, unable to wrench his mind from the gutter. Thad discretely adjusted himself and rubbed his face.
“Thad?”
“Yeah.” He realized he hadn’t been listening to what she’d been saying.
“You weren’t listening at all, were you?”
“Sorry, other things on my mind.” He tried to keep his gaze neutral, looking at something other than Cin or that tantalizing bra of hers that was on the floor, but he failed.
Cin walked over to him and stood directly in front of him. It wouldn't take any effort to reach out to her, to pull her into him and finally kiss those lips. Gods, those lips. He could only imagine how they would feel on his body.
“Look, if you aren't up for helping me anymore, then that’s fine, but don’t blow me off. Tell me.”
“I do want to help you. I just need to see my brother alone.”
“Why?”
“He doesn't like strangers.” Thad knew she could tell he was lying by the way her eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t take her to the island. The brothers didn’t allow visitors. Well, at least not usually. Alec and Hal had both brought people onto the island when they had been dealing with Circe,
but that was different. That was a volatile situation. But the idea of Cin being in his home filled him with a strange mix of joy and hope.
Cin looked at Thad. His blond curls were almost completely hiding his face from her, but for the first time since he’d arrived, she noticed the small cuts on his face. She felt like an ass. He was hurt and looked exhausted and here she was throwing a hissy fit, albeit a deserved one cause there was no way in hell he was leaving here with that note and not her.
“What happened to your face?” Her voice sounded strange in her own ears, filled with a tenderness she wasn’t used to that definitely shouldn’t be there.
“Some glass broke and cut me. It's no big deal.” Thad tried to wave her off, but she stepped closer to him. Her hand came out, and she reached out to touch him.
Thad jumped back like she was holding a knife to his face.
“Sorry, I thought—” Cin sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
Well, at least that solved that question. If the guy couldn’t stand to be touched by her, then he definitely wasn’t interested in her. She thought she’d picked up on some signals indicating otherwise, but she should have known a guy like him would only go for athletic girls. All she had to do was look at him to realize that. Curvaceous girls were not his thing, and that was okay. It stung, but it was okay. Each to their own.
“So, about taking me to see your brother . . .”
“I can’t—”
“Well, thanks for helping as much as you did,” Cin said, irritation flowing through her. “I don’t suppose you had any luck tracking her down?”
“So far, no, but I’ll keep working on it.”
“Okay, well, if you find anything, let me know. For now I’m going to search the Internet for how to break codes.”
“Cin—”
“No, it’s fine. I get it. Your brother's a recluse, but here's the thing. I’ve spent too much time waiting. Now I’m either going to be involved or find someone else to help me. And I am most definitely keeping that note with me at all times.” The rational voice in Cin’s head told her she was being unreasonable, but it was drowned out by the fury of not being able to do anything to help.
“I’ll ask Dem if he could come here.” Thad sounded sad, and Cin’s gut twisted at the thought that she had done that.
“It’s okay, I’ll figure something out,” Cin said. All the righteous anger that had been there a moment ago was gone in the face of defeat. She knew she had nowhere else to turn.
“Just give me a minute to text him.”
Thad sank down onto the couch, and Cin followed suit, staring at their reflections in her flat screen TV. She’d been so excited when she’d bought it, her first piece of up-to-date technology. Everything else was old. Her cell phone was a few generations behind what was on the market now. Her alarm clock was the same one she’d had in college. Her stereo was one she had bought fourth or fifth hand from a yard sale. Even her microwave and toaster oven had been second hand.
Art school hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped, so she put her drawing skills to use with tattoos and she loved every second of it, but it had taken some time to build a name for herself, to show people that she was talented. So buying a brand-new up-to-the-minute TV had been a mini celebration for her.
She tried to relax into the couch, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a guy in her place. She was usually a very private person, but she’d come to trust Thad in a very short time and probably a lot more than she should if she was being honest with herself. He was Tony's friend, though, so she tried not to beat herself up too badly about it.
The TV switched on.
She looked at Thad, who was still busy texting back and forth with his brother.
“Did you turn on the TV with your phone?”
“What?” Thad looked at her, confusion clouding his face. “I didn’t even know you could do that, so no.”
“Well, I didn’t turn it on.”
She looked back at it, and the channels were hopping from one to another. At first she wasn’t paying attention to the sound, too perplexed by what was going on, but then as Cin looked back at Thad, she started to hear the message. Each channel was saying a different word, but the message kept repeating.
Get out. They're coming.
“Are you hearing that?” Cin looked at Thad, her eyes going wide.
“Yeah.” Thad looked just as freaked out as she was.
“Should we believe it? Should we leave?”
“Couldn’t hurt.”
“Right. Okay, let me grab a couple things.” Her heart pounded in her chest.
Cin flew into her bedroom and shoved a handful of clean panties, a couple T-shirts, jeans, and her toothbrush into a bag. She had no idea what was going on, but there were a couple photos and a necklace that she wouldn't want other people getting their hands on. They meant too much to her, so she grabbed those too.
“Okay, let's go,” she said as she jogged into the kitchen, grabbing a box of granola bars and shoving it into her bag as well.
“I’ll check the hallway, see if anything looks suspicious.” Thad opened the door, and two bouncer-looking guys stood there. They all wore surprised expressions. Cin didn’t know what to do, but her instincts took over, and she ran to the window, flinging it open as she heard grunts behind her. She looked over her shoulder at Thad laying some major whoop ass down on those fools. That man could move deceptively well.
“Thad! Come on!” she called, trying to get him to disengage so they could get out of there. As he turned to look at her, one of the bouncers swung, his fist connecting firmly with Thad’s jaw.
Cin dropped her bag and raced over. The bouncer who had connected with Thad came at her. She ducked his swing, but he grabbed her bun and yanked. Her head lit on fire with pain as he pulled on her hair, trying to manipulate her.
Grabbing his hand, she pressed it to her head and kneed him in the groin multiple times. The muscle memory from the Krav Maga classes she had taken was still there, and she was beyond thankful for it.
Her attacker fell to the floor, clutching his groin, and she fell on top of him, smacking him in the ears with her hands and punching him in the face until she heard his nose crunch. She had blood on her hands from his nose, but was relatively sure that he wasn’t getting back up again for a while.
Adrenaline still pumped through her system, and she turned to take on the second attacker but was happy to watch Thad take him down and lock him into an arm bar. The guy screamed as she heard a satisfying crunch from his elbow. Thad stood up. His eyes widened when he took in the attacker she had dealt with.
“Let’s go,” Cin said as she went to the window and picked up her bag.
“Out the window. There could be more in the hallway or by the front door,” Thad said breathlessly.
They climbed out onto the fire escape. The metal shrieked, unused to the weight of people. As they got to the bottom Thad jumped over the side and landed on the ground.
“Jump and I’ll catch you.”
“I’ll squash you,” Cin said. She had always been honest about her weight. She had never viewed it as good or bad in her adult life; it was what it was, and all she wanted was to make sure she was healthy. What she didn’t want was to crush this very attractive man below her.
“I’m a lot stronger than I look, and you are nowhere near enough to squash me. Now jump before those guys get up.”
Cin really didn’t want to, but debating about it was wasting valuable escape time. She swung her legs over the railing and dropped her bag down before taking the biggest leap of faith in her life.
She was only in the air for a second before strong arms wrapped around her. They were soft but slightly painful bands of steel that were around her middle as she slid down Thad’s body to the ground. She felt electricity run over her skin from all the contact. His scent enveloped her, and time seemed to slow down as she felt his hands on her body, sure and firm, maneuvering her
to the ground.
Something hit the ground next to her feet, and time sped up again. She dropped into a crouch and picked up Thad’s red glasses.
“Thanks for catching me.”
“You’re as light as a feather.” Thad smiled at her, and it was only then that she noticed his eyes. They were completely white. Iris. Pupil. Everything. And they were beautiful. She could tell where his iris was by the faint ring that was there, but other than that, his eyes were colorless.
“Here you go,” Cin said, smiling as she handed him his glasses.
Shock crossed Thad’s face, as though he hadn’t realized that they had fallen off. “Thanks.” He snatched them from her hands and put them back on.
“You have beautiful eyes,” Cin said quietly, smiling at Thad.
“No, I don’t.” Thad stalked off. Cin grabbed her bag and began to follow when Thad backed up quickly and spun around to face her. “There are more guys in the parking lot in a big black SUV. They've blocked your car.” Thad’s eyes narrowed. “Do you trust me?”
Cin’s heart stuttered in her chest. “Yes,” she breathed.
“Okay, I want you to put your arms around my neck and close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Because we need to get you out of here, and I’m out of ideas. They are in your apartment, they're in the parking lot, and they've blocked your car. Ten to one, we don’t get far walking or running. So that’s it. If you trust me, I can get us out of here, but only if you do as I say.”
“I feel like I’m in Terminator right now, and you’re all ‘Come with me if you want to live.’”
“Sure, yeah, if you want to take it that way, that’s fine. But make the damn decision.” Thad’s voice was sharp.
Cin flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Don’t open them until I tell you,” Thad whispered in her ear, but his voice rumbled through her entire body, making her insides squirm and tingle.
Chapter 5
