by Sara Daniel
“Yeah, well, I guess I forgot to tell you I like you with your head on your shoulders.” Suddenly, Holly’s flushed cheeks drained of color and her voice dropped to a whisper. She groped on the ground until her fingers closed around a small rock. “There’s a man behind you.”
He trained his weapon on the threat and immediately lowered it. Island security had arrived. Better late than never.
Holly’s eyes widened, and her face turned deathly pale. “Oh my God. That man is—oh God. I swear it was a man, but now it’s a tiger. Holy shit. A tiger is going to attack us.”
As if a man shooting bullets at them wasn’t bad enough, the man supposedly wasn’t even human. And now, she was sure she’d seen another man change into a giant black and silver tiger. Which was completely impossible. But the tiger was as real as the possibility it would maul her and Justin to death. This was by far the worst nightmare Holly could have imagined for a vacation. If she came out of here alive, she’d file complaints against this place to get them shut down.
In the meantime, she had to hope her rock throwing skills would be just as effective against the savage animal as they were against the man with the gun.
Justin turned to the tiger, but instead of shooting, he lowered the gun and relaxed. Relaxed, as if the danger had passed!
“I could have used your help about five minutes ago,” he said, as if he was talking to a friend. “A Para who answers to the human name Tom Smith made an attempt on my life. He went behind the rocks to the north. He’ll try to kill me again unless I finish him off.”
The tiger bounded away before Justin had finished talking.
Holly’s legs were shaking too much to hold her weight. She slowly sank to the ground as she watched the magnificent animal dash through the woods and across the rocks. “I can’t believe you talked to a tiger and it understood everything you said and believed you. I don’t even understand you, and I saw what happened.”
“Rekkus is our head of security, a were-tiger,” a man’s voice explained from behind her.
She jumped to her feet and turned, holding the rock so tightly in her fist that its sharp corners gouged her skin. A man dressed all in black appeared out of the trees. “Who are you?”
“Cyrus Rowan.”
Another Rowan sibling. She slowly relaxed the hold on her rock. If island security was taking over, she and Justin should be as safe as they could get until they could leave here. She couldn’t even begin to understand what the hell a were-tiger was, but clearly it fell under the category of “not human.”
“He and Rekkus were the ones you were supposed to go back to the lodge for,” Justin said. His eyes narrowed at her, as if he’d figured out she’d never left at all, as if she’d had any intention of leaving him alone with a deranged gunman.
“I’ve never been to a more dangerous, unsafe place in my life,” Holly told Cyrus. “I need to go home now.” And once she got away safely and took Justin with her, she’d worry about demanding a full refund and closing the place down.
Cemil approached and put his arm around Holly. “Talk about a fright, seeing your life pass before your eyes, not to mention the life of someone you care deeply about.”
“Not to mention the free-roaming tiger,” Holly added. Somehow, Cemil’s touch made it seem like something she could joke about, when she’d been on the verge of hysteria.
“Let’s get back to the lodge and you can tell me everything you know about this Para,” Cyrus said to Justin.
“What is a Para?” Holly asked.
“For the most part, they’re just like you and me and absolutely nothing to worry about,” Cemil answered, squeezing her shoulders again.
She didn’t miss the look Justin and Cyrus exchanged. This “Para” and the fact that he’d nearly killed Justin was a threat they were clearly worried about.
Justin flicked the safety on the gun and held it out pointed toward the ground. “Do you want to touch it?” he asked Cyrus. “Or do you want Cemil to take it? You sure don’t want me carrying a loaded weapon and trying to walk at the same time. I might just shoot myself and get it over with.”
“That’s not funny,” Holly said, walking to Justin as Cyrus took the gun in his gloved hand.
Justin’s injury had taken a backseat in the commotion, but now it was obvious why he’d been crawling and had yet to get up. His knee was swollen and, despite being caked in dirt, was obviously discolored. He shouldn’t try to move on his own until he’d had a doctor take a look at it. “You need medical attention.”
“I’m fine.” He attempted to stand but couldn’t put an ounce of pressure on his right leg. Holly hung on to him, trying to support his weight, but Cyrus and Cemil nudged her aside. Justin put an arm over each man’s shoulder. They easily began walking, Justin’s right leg never touching the ground.
Holly followed them down the hill, then retraced her steps back to pick up Justin’s cane. Her legs were shaking so much over what had happened and, worse, what had almost happened, that she needed the support it offered. Her decision to come here had somehow led the man she’d talked to on the phone to follow them with the intent to kill Justin.
Although Cemil and Cyrus were hustling Justin into the lodge, they didn’t seem concerned about getting her or any of the other guests inside to safety, despite the fact that there was a non-human gunman and a half-human tiger on the loose. If her cell phone had been working, she’d be on the phone with every police agency, transportation company, and investigative journalist she could think of to get all the guests to safety.
Justin and his two guardians were far enough ahead of her that the elevator doors already closed behind them when she walked into the lodge. While she waited for the elevator to return, she stopped at the front desk to talk with Myron, who oddly enough was wearing a nametag that identified her as Trixie.
“If a guest needs emergency medical assistance, can the ferry to make a special trip, or do you have a landing strip for airplanes?” Holly asked. Justin legitimately needed to get to a medical facility, and she had every intention of getting away from this dangerous place with him.
“We have Sage, who can heal just about anything with her poultices,” Myron said.
“Justin doesn’t need a Band-Aid. His knee probably needs surgery again.” She couldn’t shake the image of how swollen and purple it had looked and how much pain Justin had been in when he tried to put weight on it.
Myron spread her cards across the table. “Nope, not going to need surgery.”
Like she’d accept the medical opinion of a deck of playing cards. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather take the recommendation of someone with a medical background.”
“You could always talk to Sarka Rowan. I doubt she’d help you, being human and all, but consider her a last resort if Sage’s poultices and herbs don’t help.”
“What do you mean ‘being human’? Are the Rowan siblings not human?” This was ridiculous. Of course, they were. She had seen and talked with them. They were somewhat eccentric but otherwise no different from her.
“Myron, can you not force our magic down the guests’ throats if they’re not ready to believe it?” Sage walked toward them, smiling and swinging a basket from her hand.
“Magic?” Holly repeated.
“The cards tell me she’s ready for it,” Myron said to Sage. “Her man believed in it long before he came to our island. If she’s going to be part of his life, she needs to understand the life he lives.”
Holly’s head spun. She remembered how Justin and Tom had yelled at each other about portals, the Para world, and rogue assassins as she’d hidden behind that rock and prayed for his safety. None of it fit with the reality she’d known her entire life.
Sage tucked her hand around Holly’s elbow. “I’m on my way to Justin’s room. Come on. I have a couple things for you too.”
Holly went to the elevator, hoping for answers, rather than candles and shakes. Some reassurance about their safety would be nice too. Every
one was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, as if she hadn’t just watched her boyfriend nearly get blown to bits.
Sage knocked and then breezed into Justin’s room. Cemil and Cyrus were huddled around Justin on the chaise. They lifted their heads and stopped talking immediately.
“The stress in this room in sky-high. Let’s light some candles and ease some of the tension in here,” Sage said brightly.
“I’ll check back later.” Cyrus slid a pair of dark glasses over his eyes, as if he wasn’t already intimidating enough. He stood and headed for the door.
“Sir.” Holly was still in the doorway, so it was easy to stop him. “I’m concerned about my safety and Justin’s and everyone here. Has your tiger caught the killer?”
“Rekkus is nobody’s pet tiger.” Cyrus looked briefly amused by the notion before his mouth flattened. “No one has ever died on this island, and I’m certainly not going to allow that to change. I guarantee you the Para is not on the premises at this time. The moment he steps foot on here again we will be back on his trail.”
It was not quite the reassurance she was expecting, but it was better than nothing. “So, you’re saying there’s a way to leave the island early?”
“No.”
“But you said—”
“Don’t worry. Enjoy your stay.” He stepped around her and marched away.
“He couldn’t have been more patronizing if he’d patted me on the head too.” Holly fumed.
“Don’t let him upset you. He takes these threats and the responsibilities that come with them very seriously,” Cemil said, joining her in the doorway. “If he tells you it’s safe to go anywhere, I promise you he’s sure that it’s safe. You could get naked in the hot springs, and you’d have the place to yourself.” His gaze slid to Justin and back, and he chuckled. “Well, unless someone decided to join you.”
She couldn’t help looking at Justin as well. They had been on their way to the hot springs. They had might very well have been doing what Cemil was suggesting if it wasn’t for Tom’s untimely interruption.
Justin gulped down a shake as he watched Sage wrap a poultice around his knee. His gaze never lifted to Holly. He had no interest in trying to return to the hot springs. They might have been beginning to break through the wall of non-communication back at the breathing class, but the events along the path had changed that, making him less responsive and less pleased with her presence than ever.
“Ooo, that’s a great idea,” Sage said. “I have this fabulous soap that combined with the hot springs water is like healing magic on your joints. You really must try it, Justin.”
“I can’t walk across the room. How the hell can I get across the island to the hot springs?” he demanded.
“So much for those magical herbs that help to relax the tension,” Holly muttered.
“You call me,” Cemil said to Justin. “And I’ll have you across the island faster than you could walk on two good legs.”
“But right now you’re going to sleep,” Sage said. “The poultice will penetrate faster if you’re asleep. The shake will kick in and help with the pain in just a minute.”
“No pain medicine,” Justin insisted. But he could hardly get the words out before his eyes started closing, and his arms and shoulders relaxed.
“Why don’t you keep this until he’s ready to use it?” Sage pressed a satchel with soap into Holly’s hands. “You look like you could use a good soak in the hot springs too.”
She continued to watch Justin, even as she took the bag. He needed a doctor. Instead, he was being drugged by someone with who-knew-what kind of credentials. She wasn’t even sure this someone was human.
On the other hand, Holly’d had a couple shakes and inhaled the candles since she’d arrived. They didn’t seem like they were filled with illicit substances or had any nasty side effects. In fact, they seemed to have more healing qualities than any over-the-counter or prescription medicine she’d ever taken.
Maybe she should use this time to find out about the fourth Rowan sibling, Sarka. She left Justin sleeping and slipped the satchel over her shoulder as she went to find someone who could either heal him or get him back to civilization where a real doctor could evaluate his knee.
She got directions to Sarka’s office and knocked. The door opened, and a woman dressed in a black flowing gown stood in front of her, glaring. “I can’t help you.”
Holly’s mouth fell open. “You haven’t even heard what I’m going to ask.”
“You either want me to heal your man’s knee or make him fall in love with you.”
“You can do those things?”
Sarka scowled. “Never, ever ask me for a love potion. I won’t do it. It never ends well. In your case, it’s also unnecessary.”
“What about healing his knee? Can you do that?” She knew she sounded ridiculous, that she should have been asking how to arrange transportation to leave early. But even though she didn’t believe in magic or that anyone here was something other than human, if they could prove their powers by healing Justin more completely and faster than anything a doctor could do, she was willing to let them try to convert her.
“It is unnecessary, as well. Justin’s spirit needs healing. Once he fixes what’s wrong inside, his body will heal too. You can help him with that, not me.” Sarka slammed the door.
Well, that was rude. If anyone ever needed a PR representative to teach her how to placate people without giving them what they asked for, it was that woman.
Holly stood outside the door, waiting for Sarka to reopen it and apologize. She didn’t, but it gave Holly a few more minutes to think. The delivery hadn’t been sweet and friendly, like Sage’s always was. And Holly didn’t believe Justin’s injury was as simple as making him relax and his knee would magically get better.
But what if she couldn’t get him to a doctor until the end of the week? What if Sage’s soap did have some sort of healing powers? She didn’t have anything to lose by giving it a shot, especially if the danger was truly gone from the island as the security personnel claimed.
Justin woke up alone in his sparse room, feeling refreshed. He removed the poultice and leaned on his cane as he rose off the chaise. His knee supported enough of his weight that he could hobble around. It was worse than it had been since his surgery but a damn sight better than on the hill when Cemil and Cyrus had practically carried him back to the lodge.
Another shake was waiting for him next to the cupboard, so he drank it, pleased to find it was still ice cold. He had no idea what Sage put in them, but they were damn good and, as a plus, he felt better after he drank one too.
He made his way to the elevator and leaned against the wall on the way down, trying not to remember how he’d nearly taken Holly against this same wall. With his knee so fucked up, he likely wasn’t going to have sex standing ever again. He could barely hold himself up, let alone a woman too.
The elevator opened at the bottom, and he went to the house computer. The lack of technology and connection to the outside world suited him just fine, but the truth was it made what he needed to do now a hassle. Within the human world, the police would be investigating Tom’s attempt at murder, and his special op unit would have swooped in and taken over.
The Army didn’t know and would never know what happened on the island unless Justin told them. It wasn’t the secure channel he normally would have used, but he had to make sure his men were protected and Tom didn’t come after them.
Before he started typing, he clicked on the unread message from his superior. Justin’s discharge papers had been approved. His knee would never heal enough that the Army would place him in the field again. His career was over. And by the way, Tom was AWOL and suspected of being the shooter and a Para. Justin should watch his back. And his chest. And his head.
He shoved back from the computer, knocking over his chair. He had nothing to add that they didn’t already know. His career was over.
He’d begun to belie
ve that the Army was a place where he could belong forever. He’d die with them or eventually retire and be part of their older generation. Now he was nothing.
Fucking knee.
He should have made Tom spend more time on the shooting range, so he could have hit Justin’s skull and finished him off.
The lady at the desk clucked her tongue at him and his tipped over chair. He swore her name was Myron, but she was wearing a name tag that said Dana.
“You’re supposed to be down at the hot springs now,” she said, spreading out her ever-present deck of cards.
“To meet my demise?” He limped toward her. He could never make sense of her card combinations, but he’d also never seen her be wrong in her predictions either.
“No. All is secure. There is no danger tonight.”
“Then why do your cards say I should be down there?” He sure didn’t see an alternate future for himself.
She looked straight at him. “The love of your life is waiting for you.”
Justin swore. He wasn’t going near Holly. He had nothing to offer her. Nothing.
Myron/Dana smiled at him. “Naked.”
He was out the door before she could pick up another card. Her cackling laugh followed him down the path.
Chapter Six
BY THE TIME HE’D made it to the point where Tom had sent him lunging for cover last time, Justin’s knee was screaming in agony. He was limping like an old man. He hated letting the pain have any amount of triumph. Worse, he hated knowing he was missing precious moments with Holly that would be his only memories worth hanging onto once this week was over and she went back to her normal life.
The path narrowed through a sheltered alcove, and suddenly he was standing in front of the hot springs. He could hear a waterfall nearby, but couldn’t see it. Rock walls surrounded the pool of clear water. The pants, shirt, and shoes Holly had been wearing earlier were folded neatly on one of the rocks. A tan satchel and two towels lay next to them.
