by Anna Lowe
“It’s going to be great, baby. Best concept ever. We finally got our hands on that sapphire. Your eyes will match it perfectly.”
She made a face. Richard had a way of focusing on objects before people. Or maybe people were just objects to him.
“Tell me more about this sapphire,” she prompted, leveling a gaze at Silas.
“What’s to tell? A jewel’s a jewel.”
Cruz shook his head in a way that said, Maybe not.
Part of her wanted to shake the whole story out of Cruz and Silas. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“It’s costing thousands to rent, so the sooner we get the shots we need, the better. As in, today. All I need is one hour, baby. We’ve got the perfect location, too.”
Cruz scooped the air with his hands, prompting her.
“Where?” she asked.
“A waterfall not too far away. It will be great.”
She looked at Silas, who tilted his head.
Which waterfall? Cruz mouthed.
“Which waterfall? Where?” she echoed into the phone.
“Who can pronounce these crazy Hawaiian names? Some place in West Maui. George scouted it last week. Hanapaladala-something or other.”
“Hanalalai,” Cruz whispered.
“You have to fly in,” Richard added. “The problem is getting a chopper. They’re all booked out for days.”
Cruz perked up his ears and looked at Silas. Jody tilted her head in the direction of the helicopter pad, and when the men nodded to her, she replied. “I can organize a helicopter.”
“You can?” Richard yelped.
She grinned. It was nice to have friends who lived on luxurious seaside estates outfitted with every high-end toy. If Richard wanted her to pose on the hood of a sports car, she could get him one of those, too.
Which made her remember exactly what she was talking about and how much she hated being reduced to being nothing more than a hunk of flesh.
Silas rubbed his fingers together, reminding her what she stood to gain.
“If I agree to this, how much will I earn?” she asked.
“Fifty thousand,” Richard said.
Jody sucked in a long breath. Fifty thousand went above and beyond what she’d imagined. Fifty thousand would be the icing on the cake. The tax on her dad’s shop might increase again. Her sister might need more than one or two rounds of treatment. Even if she didn’t, the money could help pay part of her younger sister’s college tuition.
Little alarms sounded in the back of her mind. Was she getting greedy? Her dad had warned her from the start that money had a way of sucking a person in. A little makes you want more and more until you’re one of those people who pays more attention to bank accounts than the real joys in life.
Then again, it would only be an hour of modeling. The highest paid hour of her life.
“Fifty thousand, huh?” she asked, buying time.
Silas didn’t look too impressed. Cruz shook his head and jerked his thumb up.
She gaped. Was he serious?
Dead serious, his eyes said, and he drew on the table, using a finger as a pen.
She stared at the number he’d drawn. Then she took a deep breath and made the gamble of her life.
“Sixty thousand.”
The second she said it, she held the phone away from her ear.
“Are you nuts?” Richard hollered. “Are you crazy? You think you’re the only chick with a decent set of tits?”
She winced as Richard raged and complained. When he stopped for a breath, she cut in, feeling bolder.
“Sixty thousand. I want it in writing, Richard. And the full amount for the sessions we already finished has to be transferred to my account today.”
Cruz gave her a thumbs-up, and even Silas clapped his hands in a silent bravo.
Richard kept up his protest, but she didn’t relent. Five minutes later, she hung up with a smile and checked the clock on the wall. By early afternoon, she would have the highest bank balance of her life, and she could look forward to a sixty-thousand-dollar bonus, too. Who said she didn’t have a business mind?
She grinned, but her elation didn’t last long. Not with Cruz looking so fraught with doubt.
Silas hurried off, murmuring something about Kai and the helicopter, leaving the two of them alone.
Cruz took her hands in his and kissed them, looking grimmer than grim.
“Promise me you’ll explain all this to me someday,” she whispered, tipping her head against his. “Or at least, as much as you can.”
Cruz’s hands tightened around hers, and he deliberated a long time before answering. “I swear. I promise I will.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Everyone all set?” Kai called, looking around the helicopter cabin.
Cruz clutched his seat belt and forced himself to keep his eyes open.
“Perfect!” Jody said from the window seat next to him, chipper and excited as ever.
“All set,” Guy, the photographer, said from Cruz’s left.
Richard, of course, had claimed the front seat for the best views. He gave Kai an officious thumbs-up as the rotors accelerated. Neither George nor the makeup lady were there for lack of space, what with all the equipment Guy had.
Cruz clenched his teeth. Takeoff was the worst part. Well, takeoff and flying. Or maybe takeoff, flying, and landing, because felines and feline shifters were not meant to be locked in metal boxes that hurtled through the sky.
“I really like her,” Jody said over the headset as she waved to Tessa, who stood waving at them from the lawn at Koa Point.
Cruz glanced at Kai and pictured how nice it would be to have a mate to wake up with, to wave goodbye to, and best of all, to come home to. A little fantasy of Jody moving in with him at Koa Point zipped through his mind. She could live in the tree house with him and make friends with the men and women of Koa Point. She’d have access to some of the best surf in the world and—
She could be my mate, his tiger added enthusiastically. We could live happily ever after, like Kai and Tessa. Like Boone and Nina. Like Hunter and Dawn. We could—
Cruz bit his lip. It took a lot to dismiss his hatred of the human race, especially once the heat of a sensual night dissipated. But the feeling hadn’t worn off. He wanted Jody more than ever. But, shit. Believing in the good parts of life — and having faith that destiny had more than just tricks up her sleeve — was as hard as ever. Did he have it in him?
“I really like her, too.” Kai grinned, waving cheerily to his mate.
Cruz liked Tessa, too, but he didn’t like the situation one bit. Silas was supposed to have accompanied them, but at the last second, he’d been delayed by a phone call. A damn important call, as Silas’s grim expression had made clear. Cruz didn’t like that turn of events at all. Neither did Silas, whose face went stony as he stalked away with the phone.
At least Cruz had Kai for backup, but still. He hated the chopper with a passion.
Kai moved the joystick, and the helicopter lurched sideways. One of the photographer’s many boxes and bags banged into Cruz’s knee.
“Wow! Great view,” Jody called.
A single bead of sweat rolled down Cruz’s brow. That some people actually paid good money to fly thousands of feet above the ground never ceased to amaze him. To be suspended by nothing more than a couple of scraps of metal and a crazy trust in some obscure laws of physics that couldn’t possibly be right. To roar through the air—
Cut it out, already, his tiger barked. You’re making it worse.
He closed his eyes and focused his attention on the warmth of Jody’s hand over his.
“Look at those waterfalls.” Jody tapped on the window as they soared toward the emerald mountains of West Maui.
“Look at those clouds,” Richard grumbled. “I thought Hawaii was supposed to be sunny.”
“The mountains usually cloud up in the afternoon, and the system that moved in yesterday isn’t clearing ou
t soon,” Kai replied. “Looks like it will be on and off all day. Could be a turbulent ride.”
Cruz gave an internal moan. Give him a pit of snakes. Inhospitable deserts dotted with lurking enemies. Haunted houses full of the undead. Any of those things, he could handle. But flying…
The helicopter bumped and rattled along for what seemed an eternity as Jody oohed and aahed over every gushing cascade and ridged volcanic slope. “It’s beautiful!”
It was beautiful — from the ground, where a tiger was meant to be. Cruz longed to show Jody all his favorite places. Just her, no one else. He’d pad along in front of her, swishing his tail, and she’d—
He caught himself there. She’d what? Scream and run away when she saw tiger stripes emerging from his skin?
Jody doesn’t scream, his inner beast huffed. She’s not scared of anything.
True as that might be, he doubted she’d flash that brilliant smile once he showed his fangs.
I’ll keep them covered, his tiger insisted. I promise.
Somehow, the stupid beast wasn’t getting the crux of their problem.
“We get some of our most scenic flights after rain,” Kai said. “All the waterfalls are flowing, and flowing fast. But you’ll have to watch yourselves out there.”
The helicopter dipped and turned, and another box bumped Cruz’s shin. He reached out with all his senses, trying to distract himself with thoughts of a possible Spirit Stone. The sapphire had to be somewhere among the ridiculous amount of equipment Richard and Guy had brought. But where?
Do you sense anything? he asked Kai silently.
Not a thing. Kai shook his head, swinging his earphones from side to side. Not a single vibe like the other Spirit Stones give off.
Which boded well, Cruz figured, that the sapphire Richard had leased wasn’t a Spirit Stone.
Of course, we didn’t feel the Earthstone while it slumbered either, Kai went on.
Cruz frowned. That was the thing with Spirit Stones. They were impossible to tell from any ordinary gem until something happened to stir their hidden powers. And that something was rarely good.
“Oh my gosh! Is that the Iao Needle?” Jody asked.
Kai nodded at the striking rock formation tucked deep in a lush valley. “Kuka’emoku is what locals call it.”
Richard snorted. “It looks phallic.”
Cruz growled from the back seat. Native Hawaiians revered the Iao Valley as a spiritual place, and it was best not to mess with those beliefs. Especially not when you were thousands of feet up in the air in a flying coffin.
The second we get a chance, we talk to Jody, his tiger insisted in one of those I might die, so let me make my final resolutions moments.
Cruz nodded grimly. Somehow, he’d find a way to reconcile the ghosts of his past with the woman destiny intended for him. Somehow, he’d explain what he was and what true love really meant.
But what would Jody say? And would the spirits of his family haunt him forever if he took a human as his mate?
The helicopter dipped suddenly, making his stomach lurch.
“Sorry,” Kai murmured as he guided the chopper through a long, winding valley.
“You’re a good pilot,” Guy said. “I know. I’ve seen a few. You have an instinct for flight, huh?”
Kai grinned and kept his reply for Cruz’s ears only. A dragon better have good flying instincts.
Cruz nodded with his eyes shut, counting the seconds until they touched down in a hidden valley deep in the West Maui mountains. He popped his seat belt before the door was open, and the second he got outside, he crouched and touched the moist, fertile earth, exhaling hard.
“This is incredible,” Jody said, turning in a slow circle once the helicopter’s rotors stopped.
Birds sang and chirped from all around. Water roared somewhere nearby — the powerful crash of a waterfall mixed with the chuckle of a stream. Fingers of mist groped over the shoulders of the surrounding mountains, and rich beams of sunlight pierced the valley.
“Incredible,” Cruz echoed, gulping huge lungfuls of blissfully clear, fresh air. Then he straightened quickly and started hauling equipment away from the chopper. The sooner they got this started, the sooner they’d be done, and the sooner he could get Jody home. Within seconds, sweat soaked his back as the humidity made itself felt.
“There’s a good location over there.” Kai pointed from the slab of volcanic rock he’d landed on — the only spot not choked by vegetation. The bowl formed by the lee of a ridged mountain pulsed with waterfalls, each plunging hundreds of feet from the cliff above. “And there’s another set of falls down there with a pool at the base. You’ll have to do some trekking to get to it, though.”
Cruz circled and sniffed, inspecting every inch of surrounding jungle. At least there was that — the danger to Jody seemed low. There was no way anyone could have followed them into this remote valley, as the only way in was on foot or by helicopter.
He shot a glance at Kai, who was helping unload equipment. Still nothing?
Kai shook his head. Nothing I can pick up on.
At exactly that moment, Richard reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out a black case, and motioned for Jody to step over. He drew a brilliant blue sapphire out and reached around Jody’s neck to put it on.
Cruz ought to have focused on the gem, but all he could see was Richard’s too-intimate gesture. The bastard was dressing Jody the way a husband might help his wife before a night out.
She’s mine, his tiger roared inside.
He took a step toward Richard, who immediately went white. Within a heartbeat, the man had dropped the jewel around Jody’s neck and backed away.
Cruz stood steaming for another full minute before finally tuning in to Jody’s breathless words.
“Wow. This is beautiful. So blue…” She held it up, letting the sun reflect through each facet of the gem.
The light glinted off Jody’s golden hair, and her beauty struck him all over again. She was like the sun and the sky, full of hope and love and life.
You just have to believe… Her words ghosted through his head.
“Not sure,” Kai muttered.
Cruz glared.
Kai tilted his head toward the jewel. I don’t feel a thing. If that’s a Spirit Stone, it’s not just slumbering, it’s downright hibernating.
Cruz blinked. Oh. Right. He really ought to study the gem instead of obsessing about Jody, true love, and destiny.
He looked at the sapphire, feeling the air for a ripple of some supernatural force at work. The jewel was a remarkable sky blue worked into a fine teardrop shape and hung off a simple silver chain. But there was no undercurrent of power, no pulse of energy. Thank goodness for that.
“You lose it, you owe me thousands,” Richard barked.
Jody gulped and pressed the sapphire against her chest.
“Listen, if it starts raining, we need to abort quickly,” Kai said. “No telling when a flash flood could rip through.”
Cruz wondered if anyone even listened. Well, Jody did — as her glance at the surrounding bowl of mountains affirmed. But Guy just walked around, sighting for angles and checking the light. Richard, meanwhile, snapped his fingers at Jody. “Get dressed.”
Jody sighed and whispered to Cruz. “Let the final photo session begin.”
Getting dressed translated to getting undressed, and it was all Cruz could do to hold back open snarls of discontent as Jody shed layer after layer. She only stopped when she was down to a tiny string bikini and a white T-shirt that made the blue of the jewel stand out. Resolve flashed in her eyes, and her lips moved with a mantra he couldn’t quite make out. Was it I’m doing this for my family, or I swear I’m never doing this again?
Cruz’s gut roiled. He had let Silas pressure Jody into this. He had let Jody talk herself into doing something she hated. Was it really worth it?
“Let’s go.” Guy motioned, setting off for the lower falls.
Kai stayed with the helicopt
er. Jody bounded through the jungle as easily as she cruised over waves. Richard cursed every step of the way. Cruz followed closely, keeping his senses on high alert. The peaty scent of the valley filled his nose, and his ears flicked with every rustle in the thick underbrush, but nothing seemed amiss.
“Wow. This is amazing,” Jody gushed when they stepped into the clearing at the foot of a lower, broader waterfall with a clear pool at its base.
“Let’s get started before the weather breaks,” Guy said, turning to Jody. “Hair back.”
She caught Cruz’s gaze as she finger-combed her hair, and he licked his lips. God, if she did that minx thing again, he’d be a goner.
“Good. More lip gloss,” Guy ordered, tossing her a stick.
Cruz averted his eyes, because watching Jody pucker her lips would definitely get him off track.
“Better. Now lose the bikini top,” Richard said.
“What?” Jody squeaked.
Cruz whirled, ready to pummel the guy.
“You can keep the shirt on,” Richard said. “And the sapphire. Just no bikini top underneath.”
Jody looked from Richard to the waterfall and down at her chest. The second she got under the waterfall, the white T-shirt would be soaked and…
“No way.” Jody crossed her arms over her chest.
“We’re paying you sixty thousand dollars,” Richard snapped. “Do you want it or not?”
Cruz stalked forward, but Jody intercepted him with one hand on his chest. “I call the shots, right?”
He glared at Richard over her shoulder and forced himself to nod. “You call the shots. But you don’t have to do this, Jody.”
She dipped her chin twice. “I don’t have to, but I want to. It’s worth it.”
He searched her eyes before she hustled him off to one side for some privacy. “How could this be worth it?”
“I picture my sister and her husband cuddling their baby. I see my dad splashing in the water with his grandchild. I picture his surf shop, staying right where it belongs until my dad is ready to retire.” She nodded firmly. “It’s worth it.”
Cruz’s heart thumped as he wrapped his hand around hers. God, he loved this woman. And damn, he really had to find a way to tell her that.
