After grooming, she walked to their campfire and found Hunter lost in thought. "Good morning."
He grinned and winked. "Good morning, Lucy."
Luke popped from behind a bush, wrapped his arms around her and swung her around. "Happy birthday, Sis!"
She laughed at his antics, then frowned. "What? It can't be."
He gave one last rib-cracking squeeze, then let go and counted on his hands like a grade-schooler. "Yep. It's the first, second, third, fourth day of June. We are now, officially, adults."
Lucy stood, stunned. How had she lost track of that much time? "No way."
"Way. At least, if my phone's correct. I keep checking it from time to time to see if there's a signal." He pulled it out and showed her the date: June 4.
The days had blurred by, even before they left for this assignment. Between setting up the new school, nursing the injured back to health and coordinating with IPI to initiate this mission—which had taken forever—she'd long ago forgotten about her birthday. And of course, some time had gone missing here in the valley, like when the lizard nearly killed her, and she'd passed out for days.
"Guess you're right, Bro. Happy birthday."
Lucy squeezed her twin tight, and he whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry for last night. I was a jackass. Forgive me?"
She would have forgiven him for anything, just to have happy Luke back. "Of course. Love you, Bro."
"Love you too, Sis."
She pulled back and sized him up. Did he look older? Did she? "So, what should we do?"
Luke bowed deeply and flourished his hands. "Well, because you're my sister, and I love you, and because I've been a bit of a screw-up lately, I made breakfast for everyone."
"Oh, cool!"
Luke walked toward Mr. K's alcove, and Lucy followed. Hunter's hand slipped to the small of her back, and he turned her body toward his. "Happy birthday, Lucy." He gave her a simple, sweet kiss that held the kernel of passion she'd felt last night. Then he held her hand as Mr. K's branches parted for them to reveal a beautiful breakfast.
On a flat rock, Luke had arranged a smorgasbord of tantalizing treats. Using giant leaves as platters, he had piled up mounds of colorful berries and fruits, freshly cooked meat and coconuts for drinks. They sat around the rock.
Mr. K swayed, as if to music only he could hear. "I heard someone's getting old. Happy Birthday, Luke and Lucy."
"Thank you," they said in unison.
Hunter stared at the food, and his stomach growled loudly. "Thanks, Luke, and Happy Birthday, you two. You know, I'd like to make a toast." He lifted a coconut. "To Luke and Lucy. I'm so glad I met you guys, even if it was in a dirty smelly jungle full of blood-sucking bugs. You've been great friends, and though I haven't known you long, I've seen the bond you two possess. It's honest, painful at times, but so worth it. And I appreciate that you've let me into your tight circle. Thank you. Truly, thank you. As vicious mosquitoes suck the blood out of you, may you have a wonderful future."
Mr. K hit some of his branches against the ground, clapping. Luke joined in too.
Hunter sat back down. "Okay, okay, everyone, just drink up and forget how I embarrassed myself just now."
Everyone laughed and dug into their food. Lucy bit into the meat and sighed. "Bro, this food is to die for. Seriously. So good!"
"Thanks, Luce. Do you want to know where I got the meat?"
Both Lucy and Hunter shook their heads. "No!"
Luke rolled his eyes. "You guys are wusses. Don't worry, it's not moth."
"Okay, I'll bite," said Hunter. "What is it?"
Luke grinned. "I found a pigeon, or it kind of looked like a pigeon—a bird, anyway. I used a handmade slingshot to bring it down, then cooked it over the fire."
Hunter shoved another piece into his mouth, and Lucy picked up a bite and sniffed it. "I just hope it's not mutated and causing some crazy reaction in our system right now."
Mr. K's branches shook. "I think you're safe. Enjoy your birthday meal."
Lucy looked at Hunter, then Luke, as they started talking about bugs and reptiles. She smiled and popped a berry into her mouth. It was so good to see them getting along. She just hoped it was sincere and not an act to make her feel better on her birthday.
The three of them finished up the food and leaned back, full and happy. Luke clapped his hands once to get everyone's attention. "Lucy, we have to do our song."
Oh, crap. She glanced at Hunter then shook her head. "No. Not now."
Luke pouted. "Yes now. We have to. It's tradition."
Hunter nudged her shoulder. "I want to hear it."
Mr. K swatted her head with a branch. "So do I."
"See? It's three against one." Luke made his puppy dog eyes. "Please, Luce? For me?"
She shrugged in defeat. "Fine."
"Yes!" Luke pumped the air like he'd won something big. "Okay, ready? One, two, three."
Lucy cleared her throat and sang "La, la, la, la, la," in counterpoint as Luke started in on the melody. "Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Lucy. Happy Birthday to you." His rich tenor voice spilled into the valley, carried on the wind like a sigh. When Luke finished his part, he sang counterpoint while Lucy did the "Happy Birthday, dear Luke" part. She sang contralto, and their voices wove together like a musical tapestry. She sang pretty well, but Luke had the real gift.
They sang the last "Happy Birthday" in two-part harmony. When they finished, everyone sat still, mesmerized.
Hunter broke the silence by clapping, a look of awe on his face. "Wow. If Bon Jovi ever did a Happy Birthday cover, that'd be it. Scratch that, they'd do a cover of your song, and it wouldn't be half as good."
Luke bowed. "Thank you." He punched Lucy lightly. "See? I told you we should have started a band."
"Was that before or after we started going on assignments?" asked Lucy in a sarcastic but playful manner.
Mr. K clapped with his branches. "Impressive! Luke, now I see why you kept taking those music courses instead of art. You've actually got some talent, young man."
"Thanks, Mr. K, I appreciate it. Now, who wants to have some fun?"
Hunter and Lucy raised their hands. Mr. K raised a limb.
Luke rubbed his hands together and grinned devilishly. "Perfect. Mr. K, would you please?"
"Certainly."
Mr. K's branches moved away, revealing the lake. As Luke started undressing, leaving only his boxer shorts on, one of the branches came down in front of him.
"What are you doing?" asked Lucy.
"Just watch. Mr. K and I worked this out late last night." The branch moved itself into Luke's hands. He grabbed it and held on tight.
Mr. K gave it a tug. "Ready?"
Luke nodded. "Ready."
"Here we go." Mr. K yanked on the branch and swung it out over the lake. He spun it back and forth, and circled it around, pulling Luke through the air like Tarzan. Luke let go with a loud "Yahoo!" and did a cannon ball into the water.
He surfaced a few moments later, laughing. "Woo! That was awesome. Who's next?"
Lucy jumped up. "Me! I'm going."
Hunter grabbed her by her waste and pulled her toward him. "No way. I am." They laughed and wrestled their way to the tree, but Lucy got to the branch first. She looked down at her clothes and wondered how much she should take off. She shrugged and pulled off her pants.
Luke splashed her. "Lucy, keep your clothes on!"
"You're a hypocrite. I'm not going in there with all my clothes. Besides, how is this any different than a bikini? Huh?" She kicked her pants to the side, deliberately avoiding Hunter's gaze, and left her tank top on. She grabbed the vine, and Mr. K tossed her into the lake.
Hunter undressed to his boxers and followed.
They spent the rest of the morning diving, splashing and swimming in the lake, and taking turns on Mr. K's branches. In the early afternoon, Lucy crawled out of the water while Hunter and Luke wrestled and tried to drown each other.
She relaxed on a rock, letting the sun warm her body. A sound behind her caught her attention. She gasped. The giant beetle that had chased them into the valley stood there, its green shell glittering in the sun. Lucy stayed calm, taking slow, deep breaths and using her meditation techniques to suppress her panic. The bug looked at her, and they held each other's stare.
Does it remember me? She held her breath, waiting for it to stampede her, but it never came. The beetle broke eye contact and walked away.
Her shoulders slumped in relief, and a while later the boys emerged from the lake to dry off. They thanked Mr. K and walked back to their campfire. Lucy tried very hard not to stare at Hunter's six-pack abs and ripped body. He wasn't huge and bulky, like a professional weight lifter. His muscles were all lean and defined, and oh-so-sexy. She caught him checking her out a few times too, and she tried to hide her blush.
After they'd dried out by the fire, Hunter opened his pack to get a change of clothes.
Luke gestured to the sword sticking out of the pack's main pocket. "So how'd you get that sword?"
Hunter froze, and Lucy wondered what kind of misdirecting excuse he'd give them this time.
Instead, Hunter pulled out the sword and stared at it. "I inherited it from my father."
Lucy hadn't been expecting a truthful answer. So is the sword some IPI tech? "Was your father an agent?"
He shook his head. "No, I think he helped them out sometimes though, like a consultant. He knew a lot about paranormals, and spent considerable time researching what he didn't know. Honestly, he didn't open up much about this stuff. Didn't want to get me involved, I guess."
"But you got involved anyway?" Obviously.
"I wanted to help people. IPI gave me a chance. Agent Simmons recruited me, trained me, sent me out into the field."
Luke studied the sword in Hunter's hand. "What happened to your father?"
Lucy wanted to know too, but she didn't want to push him too hard.
Hunter didn't speak for several moments. "He's gone. A serial killer stabbed him."
Tears sprang into Lucy's eyes. "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry." She reached over and placed her hand on his, wanting to hug him and comfort him, but the timing wasn't right.
Hunter squeezed her hand and continued. "I inherited my father's stuff, after.... Most of it is locked up in storage somewhere, but I kept this sword."
Even Luke looked sympathetic. "Sorry, bro, I didn't know."
"It's fine. It happened a long time ago." He passed the sword to Luke. "Want to check it out?"
Luke's eyes lit up and he took the sword. "I thought it was bigger."
Hunter and Lucy both laughed, and Luke raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing something here?"
Lucy showed her brother how to make it bigger. "Cool!" He stood and did some mock sword play with it.
They enjoyed the rest of the afternoon, and as the sun set, Luke brought out one more birthday treat: a bottle of Rum. He took a swig and offered it to Lucy.
She started to shake her head, then paused. What the hell! She grabbed the bottle and took a swallow, then passed it to Hunter.
Luke enjoyed the bulk of the bottle, and as the fire started to die out, so did Luke. He switched his phone on briefly for the time. "Birthday's over, Luce. But it was fun, right?"
A false confidence overlaid the desperate plea she could hear in his voice. He seemed so vulnerable in that moment.
"It was the best birthday ever, Bro. You did an awesome job." She helped him stand and walked him to his sleeping pad, where he collapsed, a silly grin on his face.
"I love you, Luke. Thanks for making this day so perfect."
He reached for her as she stood to leave. "Luce, you're my best friend, you know that? I'm sorry I made you handle so much alone since we got here. I promise I'll do better."
She kissed his head. "It's okay. We always have each other's back."
Hunter stood by the fire, the flames giving him a very wild look.
Lucy's heart lurched as she approached, and something lower burned in her.
He reached for her hand. "Now that your brother's asleep, I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?"
"Yes. You and I are going on a date."
"A real date? Where are we going, to the other side of the fire pit?"
He tweaked her nose. "Funny." He pulled her away from the fire. "Follow me."
They neared Mr. K's tree, and his branches moved aside to reveal a fairly large raft.
Hunter bowed. "Lady, your chariot awaits."
"Wow, Hunter, this is impressive." She walked up to examine it. "When did you make this?"
"During my lonely late nights. Your birthday needed something special."
"No. You couldn't have known about my birthday."
"Luke knew. The tree read his mind, and then told me."
Some more branches moved aside, revealing Mr. K in the back. His voice rumbled out to them. "You're welcome."
Lucy grinned from ear to ear. She'd never been on a real date before, and this one was extra special. How many girls had their first date on a handmade raft in a magical valley with a super-hot secret agent?
"After you, m'lady." Hunter helped Lucy onto the raft and then joined her. It tilted a few times, but steadied itself as he paddled them off the bank and into the water.
The warm evening air pulsed with the scent of honey and roses. Fireflies filled the sky with their bright twinkling and lit the couple's way as they floated on the cool water strewn with flowers. The crescent moon completed the picture, and Lucy wished this moment could last forever. She dipped her hand in the water, and something glowed along the trail left by her fingers. The beauty and magic of the valley made it easy to forget the evil that had facilitated its creation. They floated along, and nothing else existed but her and Hunter and the magnificence around them.
He cupped her face and kissed her deeply, and the pressure of his lips and feel of his hands sent her heart fluttering like a hummingbird. He pulled away and reached for his backpack. "I have something else for you."
"You've already given me so much. What more could you have?"
He pulled out a wreath of star flowers. At night, they glittered as though sprinkled with pixie dust. She bent her head so he could place it on the crown of her head.
"Thank you. This is beautiful."
"And now for your real present."
She looked around and laughed. "Isn't all this real? Although I could almost believe I'm dreaming all of it."
"Nope. You deserve so much more than a raft and a few flowers. But since you'll have to wait until we complete our mission and get back to civilization to get a proper gift, I have one more thing for you."
"Okay, what's that?"
"Answers. For tonight only, I'll answer any question you have for me as honestly as I can. Unless the answer would break any confidentiality agreements I'm bound by."
Wow! She never expected this. "Fair enough." She thought about it. Before, a dozen questions would have leaped from her tongue, but the power of the night had done strange things to her. "Okay, first question. What is the exact nature of your para-powers?"
"That one's easy. I'm extra agile and extra strong. Basically, most of my senses and abilities are heightened."
"Oh! Show me!"
Hunter shook his head. "Nope. You've seen enough, I think."
Without warning, Lucy giggled and pushed against him, trying to knock him into the water. His eyes widened, but at the last second, he jumped over her and landed lightly on the other side of the raft, balancing shakily. Lucy tipped to the side, leaning out over the lake, but Hunter grabbed her and pulled her close.
"Did you have any more questions?"
Deep in her mind, Lucy knew she did, but she couldn't think of them at the moment. He kissed her, and his hand ran up her back and into her braid. The kiss lasted longer than any kiss she'd had before.
Finally, she pulled back, out of his embrace, afraid that she'd lose this chan
ce to get to know him better. She rapid-fired questions at him, on the alert for any lies. His favorite movie: Shutter Island. His favorite food: seafood, particularly lobster. His favorite book: Forgive Me, Alex by Lane Diamond—with the added, "I can't wait for the sequel!" His favorite date spot: this lake.
Awwww. Much of it was trivia, but she started piecing together his life from these shared bits of information.
"Not many people know this, but I was actually adopted. The man I call my father found me when I was an infant and took me in. My parents had abandoned me. My adoptive father raised me as his own, and when he was killed, something died in me, too. It's why I joined IPI, to find his killer." Hunter kept his eyes on the moon as he spoke, but then turned to look at Lucy. "I've never shared this with anyone else."
Her mind clicked. "The serial killer who killed your father.... He was a paranormal?"
Hunter nodded, but didn't speak.
She squeezed his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "Did you ever find him?"
"Not yet, but I will someday."
The mood grew somber as they drifted toward a grassy shore. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Want to get off and stretch?"
"Sure."
Vines grew thick around them, creating a secret paradise.
They held hands as they walked into a grassy knoll, and then lay down to stare at the moon and the stars filling the night sky. Hunter rolled to his side and propped his head up with his hand. "What are you thinking about?"
"Just wondering what life will be like when we get out of this mess. Are you with me because I'm literally the only woman around?"
He kissed her. "Lucy, even if hundreds of naked women were walking around this place, I'd only have eyes for you. Granted, our circumstances probably brought us together faster than had we met in our real lives, but that doesn't make what we have any less real. And when we go back, we'll find a way to be together, if that's what you want."
She tried to imagine life with Hunter. Would she stay at the mansion in Washington, or go to Washington, D.C. with him? What would she do with her life? Where would she live? So many questions to sort through, but looking into his green eyes she knew that she wanted to be with him, no matter what.
The Forbidden Trilogy Page 58
