Heart of Stone

by Debra Mullins

  “You seem fine with me.”

  “That’s another story.”

  “I bet.” She let out a long sigh. “Look, I’m kind of in new territory here. With the stone. With you … and your family,” she added quickly. “Not quite sure what I’m doing.”

  “Solving a mystery.”

  “A mystery that’s going to take awhile. It’s been centuries, maybe thousands of years, since that stone was cleared out and tuned properly.”

  “Then we’ve got the right person to handle the job.” He sat down on a boulder, rested his chin on the hand covering the head of his cane and looked her straight in the eye. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  The thrill that he felt from her did a lot for his masculine ego. She tried to play it off. “Well, like you heard, I’m the only game in town.”

  He didn’t smile. “This isn’t a game, Faith. My cousins were killed just yesterday.”

  Her mirth faded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to seem so cavalier about all this. Of course I know it’s not a game.”

  “My idea to bring you here … well, it wasn’t an easy decision. I had to talk everyone else into it.” He stretched out his bad knee with a slow, controlled move. “Yesterday wasn’t the first time my mom’s family was targeted by the Mendukati—”

  “I know. Cara mentioned it.”

  He nodded. “Right. Your association with them was a concern. But we didn’t have a choice, and I didn’t know what to expect.”

  “I—”

  “I’m not finished.” Faith closed her mouth, and he continued. “Like I said, I didn’t know what to expect from a Stone Singer, especially one who had been associated with the same people who keep trying to kill my family.”

  “I wasn’t with them for that long. And when I realized what they were doing, I got out. You can’t think—” She pressed her lips together, but he could feel the sting of her hurt feelings. “Of course you do.”

  “Don’t put words in my mouth. I don’t think you intend to hurt anyone.” He let out a long breath. “Look, this is getting way more intense than I intended. I came looking for you to tell you about the barbecue.”

  “A barbecue?” She indicated her clothes. “I don’t have much to wear to a party.”

  “It’s just the family. My dad’s been itching to get some burgers going, and he thought tonight would be a good reason to get everyone together. You’re invited.”

  “I am?”

  “Yes. He told me specifically to ask you to come.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “Come on. Is that the act of someone who thinks you’re the enemy?”

  “I guess not. What time?”

  “About six o’clock.”

  She glanced at her watch. “That only gives me an hour! I should shower.”

  “You look fine.”

  “Leave it to a man to say that. I’ll see you at six.” She started up the path but then paused. “Do you need any help getting back?”

  “No, I’m good. I’ll see you there.”

  She hesitated, then nodded and hurried up the incline.

  Darius watched her go. She was hiding something from him, something to do with her husband’s death. How did a healthy twenty-eight-year-old man drop dead without a mark on him? She could just be feeling grief. Or maybe survivor’s guilt because she hadn’t been able to save him. He hoped that’s all it was. Because his attraction to her was getting stronger.

  According to what he knew about destined mates, the sexual tension built with speed and intense heat no matter what obstacles might lay in their path. Eventually they simply would not be able to keep their hands off each other.

  Then again, maybe he was already there.

  * * *

  The soldiers he had were inadequate.

  Azotay stared out into the night from the front seat of the lead SUV. The failed attempt to extract the Stone Singer, allowing her to escape with the Seers, of all creatures—a very poor showing. And now the rumored involvement of the Temple of Mneseus. Clearly he would have to see to every aspect of the mission himself. This Mendukati encampment had no idea what power the Stones of Ekhia could bring, the glory to be found for those who brought the new era to life. Their level of preparation fell far below what was expected by President Criten … and himself.

  How on Earth had a Stone Singer come to exist in such a ragtag group as this? The sheer improbability boggled the mind.

  Still, Azotay had gathered the best of them, sorry group that they were, and led them himself to Santa Fe to track down Ben Wakete. Once he had the carver in his grasp, he would have the perfect leverage to obtain the cooperation of the Stone Singer.

  And he could see for himself if the rumors about Mneseus were true.

  Wakete was not hard to locate. The exhibition hall holding the art show in which he would be participating had advertised well, and Wakete had a reputation as a skillful fetish carver, a good draw. They located Wakete’s hotel, and a call to the front desk confirmed he had checked in, but his car was not in the lot. Probably out to dinner.

  It was a simple matter to send teams out to find the car, and simpler still to launch an offensive on a lonely stretch of road … provided he did not have an unexpected bodyguard.

  * * *

  Faith came downstairs at 5:45, showered and dressed in a turquoise blouse spotted with flowers and a new long black skirt. She wore inexpensive black sandals on her feet and dangling gold earrings that featured clear fake crystal gems in her ears. She’d also dipped into her new makeup and had a sweater hooked over her arm.

  The first person she saw was Tessa, dressed in white capris and a white top, a dark blue sweatshirt, and tennis shoes. She turned away before the blonde could see her and caught sight of John Montana in a T-shirt and faded jeans behind the barbecue. Maria laughed beside him as she held a platter of burgers. Her dark hair was pulled in a haphazard up-do held with a large clip, and she also wore a turquoise shirt with her jeans and flip-flops. Rafe lay on a lounge chair, also garbed casually, as he joked with Tessa. Darius sat nearby, dressed in jeans, brown sandals, and a white T-shirt with an open, button-down shirt of slate gray over it that no doubt accented his eyes. His long dark hair looked damp from the shower.

  She was overdressed. She wondered if there was time to sneak back to her room and change before anyone saw her. She had just slipped back through the kitchen doors when Cara came into the kitchen. She, too, seemed casually dressed in jeans and a pink top with a gray hooded sweatshirt over it, her hair in its usual ponytail. She was pushing buttons on her phone when she looked up.

  “Hey, Faith. Where you going?”

  “I’m just going to run up and change,” Faith replied.

  “Why? You look great.”

  “No, I’m overdressed. I was going to slip upstairs and put on some jeans.”

  “Nah, you look pretty.” Faith grinned. “Dress for anyone special?”

  “Of course not.” But Faith couldn’t help looking out the door at Darius.

  “Uh-huh. Pull the other one.” Cara slipped the phone into her pocket and followed Faith’s glance. “You can’t fool a woman in love. Since I doubt you’re ogling my man, I’m thinking you’re checking out Darius.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Faith shrugged off the observation. “I just met the man.”

  “I only knew Rafe for a couple of days before we ended up in bed together. Those Montana men are hot, that’s all I can say.”

  “I just wanted to fit in, that’s all. I don’t need more snide comments from Tessa.”

  Cara nodded. “I imagine it’s tough being the odd man out. Take me, for instance. Except for John, I’m the only non-Atlantean here.”

  “But they love you. It’s obvious.”

  “Now. I was involved in the whole Jain Criten nonsense. I helped Rafe defeat him. I guess that makes me one of the family.”

  “You’ve proven yourself. I still have to earn the trust of this family.” Faith sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I shoul
dn’t have come here.”

  “Aw, honey.” Cara put her arm around Faith and led her to the kitchen table. “I only have sort of an idea what you’re doing here, but from what I can guess, your powers are pretty rare, and you’re the only one who can make sense of that stone they have.”

  “Basically.” Faith sat on the long side of the table while Cara grabbed the seat at the end near her. “Touching it for the first time was … intense. No one has cleared it or balanced it properly in eons. I got a little lost in there. Darius had to pull me out.”

  “He did? Huh.” Cara frowned.

  “What?”

  Cara shook her head. “It’s just … well, I thought Seer powers stopped working when they handled the stone.”

  “That can’t be.” Now Faith frowned. “I saw him, clear as day, a blue beacon that led me out.”

  “I must be wrong then.” Cara shrugged and smiled. “I’m still learning all the rules.”

  “Maybe.” But Faith continued to ponder the matter.

  “Nah, I must be wrong. I’m kind of rattled. Worried about Saturday, I guess.”

  “What’s happening Saturday?”

  “They didn’t tell you? Oh, dear. Maybe I’m not supposed to mention it.” Cara bit her lip. “The Montanas are still kind of weird about you.”

  “I know.” And she did, though it still stung a little. But they didn’t have to like her to pay her the money they’d promised. “It’s okay.”

  “It’s just that Rafe has this big test coming up. He thinks he’s ready, but I’m not so sure.”

  “I’m sure everything will go fine.” She squeezed Cara’s hand across the table.

  “Thanks. I’m holding on to that.” Cara took a deep breath. “Now, your problems. First off, you know Maria’s family was terrorized by the Mendukati for generations. These new murders have everyone rattled, especially Maria, but she’s trying.”

  “I know she is. I appreciate that it’s going to take time, especially after what happened to her cousins.”

  “Right. And John is protective of Maria. He runs a security company, and it’s in his nature to be suspicious. Just a few weeks ago, a Mendukati sniper took a shot at Maria. If she hadn’t gotten a flash of insight right at that moment, she would have been hit.”

  “Oh, no! No wonder they’re so worried.”

  “Exactly. John’s taking every precaution. Throw in Jain Criten’s visit a few weeks back, and you just know every warning bell in the man’s head is ringing twenty-four-seven.”

  “I can imagine.”

  Cara continued. “Now as for Rafe, he’s been away from home for about five years, and he’s been living in the real world. He’s on the fence about you, waiting to see what’s going to happen.”

  “So as long as I do my job and keep my nose clean, I should be fine.”

  Cara grinned. “Right. Now me, I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. As the most recent outsider taken into this family, I know how it feels. So you have my vote, unless you hurt the Montanas, and then I’m coming after you. I’m from Jersey, you know.”

  Faith smiled back, though she heard the truth beneath the words. “Noted.”

  “Now Tessa. She has what we call limited social skills. She’s great with PR for the company, writing ad campaigns and all that, but put her face-to-face, and she’s lost. I told you she’s protective of Darius. When he was shot, Rafe took off and left her and the family to deal with all that.”

  “So she’s a shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of gal.”

  “In a nutshell.”

  “Well, if looks could kill, I’d be dead already.” Faith lowered her voice. “And she can tan. For that alone, I should hate her.”

  “With you on that one.” Cara pointed to herself. “Irish and German here, so all I get is the lobster tan, red from head to toe.”

  Faith nodded. “Ditto. I’ll try and steer clear of Tessa. But I’m warning you, if she starts with me I’m shooting back.”

  “Fair enough.” Cara leaned back in her chair. “Which leaves Darius.”

  Faith tensed. “What about him?”

  “Well, he’s the big brother. It goes Darius, Rafe, Tessa. When I met him, he was a big cranky puss.”

  “Darius, really?” Faith glanced over her shoulder at the laughing man on the other side of the glass door. “I know he can be gruff once in a while—”

  “Gruff? Honey, he could peel paint with his glare. The very first time I met him, he punched Rafe in the mouth within a minute of answering the door.”

  “No! Seriously?”

  “To be fair, there was some bad blood there. It was Rafe’s fault Darius got shot, and rather than face the music, he ran off. Some nonsense about being too dangerous to be around his family.” Cara shook her head. “Long story. Requires margaritas. At any rate, there was brother anger going on there that they worked out, so Darius has gotten nicer. Less angry. Though he has his moments. He was in a wheelchair for almost five years. They told him he would never walk again. That would make anyone grumpy.”

  “Wow.” Faith glanced again at Darius. “Guess he proved them wrong.”

  “Yeah, no one keeps Darius down. He’s sort of the family diplomat.”

  “He mentioned that.”

  “He’s the one they send in to negotiate things. He’s the talker, Rafe’s the fighter.”

  “Darius can fight. He took on two Mendukati and won.” Faith warmed as she remembered it. “Adrian helped at the end.”

  “Wish I could have seen it.” Cara glanced out the door herself. “The only thing that sets him off these days is pity. Can’t stand it. He reverts to the pissed-off man I first met.”

  “Aha.” Faith pointed at Cara. “The night we arrived, he was all angry and sped off to be alone.”

  “Probably thought you pitied him. He really hates that.”

  “I was thinking how weird it looked, such a powerful man in a wheelchair. It must have shown on my face.”

  “Guess so.” Cara stood up. “Better now? I think you look great, and Darius is going to swallow his tongue.”

  Faith stood as well. “Cara, I told you—”

  Cara propped a hand on her hip. “You going to deny you’re attracted?”

  “Well, no, but I work for the guy. I can’t imagine he’d hit on the help.”

  Cara laughed. “I doubt that will stop him. If Darius is interested, he’ll let you know. It’s been awhile for him, though, so cut him some slack.”

  Faith followed as Cara led the way to the sliding doors. “What does that mean?”

  Cara slid open the door. “Before he was shot, Darius was engaged. She left after he was injured.”

  “Oh, no!”

  “Oh, yes.” Cara paused in the doorway. “Another reason for Tessa to be rude to any woman around Darius. She’s a softie and doesn’t want to see him hurt again. In more ways than one.”

  “Thanks, Cara, for telling me all this.”

  “I think it’s great.” Cara winked. “Maybe Darius has finally found his destined mate, just like Rafe and me.” With a waggle of her fingers, she left Faith standing in the doorway as she went to join her fiancé.

  Faith stood frozen. Destined mate? What the heck did that mean? She stepped outside and closed the sliding door, then glanced at Darius.

  This time he gazed back. The quivering started low in her belly at the way he looked at her, and she knew.

  She was in trouble.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Faith stepped outside, and Darius stood up, coming across to meet her. She stood still, caught between the instincts of fight and flight.

  If she stayed, anything could happen. Maybe things she wasn’t ready for.

  If she fled, she might lose any small respect the Montanas had for her.

  She stayed.

  Darius reached her. “Don’t you look nice.”

  “I might have gotten a little carried away. I didn’t realize it was casual.”

  “I like it.” He flicked
one of her dangling earrings. The warmth of his finger so close to her neck, yet not touching it, sent an unexpected ripple through her. How did he do this, cut through her defenses until she forgot she had any?

  “Hot date?” Tessa’s voice reached them just as she did. She sipped at the drink in her hand and eyed Faith over the rim.

  Faith opened her mouth to reply, but Darius slipped Faith’s hand beneath the crook of his arm and met his sister’s gaze. “As a matter of fact, she’s with me.”

  Tessa only missed a beat. “Oh, come on, Dar. You can’t be serious.”

  “Sure I am. Faith is with me tonight. Right, Faith?”

  Faith nodded. “He even met me at the door.”

  Tessa narrowed her eyes. “Watch it, brother dear. This one may be more than you bargained for.”

  “Or more than you think she is.” He stroked Faith’s fingers where they rested on his arm. “Maybe you’re jealous because a certain Warrior took off without kissing you good-bye.”

  Tessa’s mouth opened and closed before she snapped, “Don’t be an ass.”

  “I won’t if you won’t. Come on, Faith, let’s go put in our burger orders.” He led Faith away from a clearly simmering Tessa.

  As they headed over to the grill, Faith murmured, “I’m sorry to be so much trouble.”

  Darius stopped. “You’re no trouble. Tess gets on her high horse sometimes and needs to be knocked down a bit.”

  “Thank you for riding to my defense, but why did you lie to her and tell her I was your date?”

  “Who said I lied? Now, how do you like your burger?”

  * * *

  “Thanks for dinner,” Ben said as he and Adrian left the restaurant outside Santa Fe. He jingled his truck keys in his hand. “But I can’t let you pay for every meal. These are business expenses. Tax deductions, my friend.”

  “You can get the next one.” Adrian kept his senses alert. Ben may have been doing a show at a big exhibition hall in a major city, but he still stayed in a cheap motel at the edge of town and ate at a roadhouse diner. The farther away from the center of town they were, the better the chance the Mendukati could come at them on an isolated stretch of road somewhere. And the way the back of his neck itched made him think that’s exactly the sort of attack that was coming.