By the Horns (26 page)

She paled. Yeah, so fireworks blew upward and outward. The plan had been for them to leap out of the way. There might not be time to save them both.

A demon growled on his right. Ox snarled back. “Time’s up. Now, Nat.”

He probed for Snake’s tail. Nat grunted as she cloaked Snake and snagged Kassian’s waist. One torch flickered out. The other two grew dim.

Now or never.

The demon who’d growled leapt forward as Nat swung Kassian into the air.

The creature sank its claws into Kassian’s calf. He howled as the razor-sharp nails sliced a line down his skin. The demon struggled to hold on. Kassian thrashed his leg, hoping to kick off the nasty beast. Like a rabid dog, it dug its claws deeper.

Kassian grabbed the beam Nat swung him to and twisted around as she dropped the torch.

The wooden crates caught fire. The heat built. Snake’s tail released its grip on his waist. Kassian crushed one of Ox’s hooves on top of the demon’s head, prying it off his leg. It fell limp onto the concrete floor.

Uncloaking Ox, he sought Nat again. She uncloaked too as she sprinted the length of the beam toward him. He swung his feet to the beam and waited a beat before she caught up to him. Nudging her ahead, he followed her toward the ventilation window in the roof. He glanced over his shoulder as the first box exploded.

Shielding his body with one arm, he used the other to shove Nat out the window. He dove after her, protecting her body from the flames as they spiraled toward the ground.

Ox cloaked him while Snake cloaked Nat.

Whether she’d done it consciously or not, the cloaking had happened damned fast. She was getting the hang of this Chosen gig.

They landed hard against the packed earth, but their spirits cushioned most of the impact. Kassian rolled to his feet and swung for Nat’s hand. He lifted her and they both backed off as the roof of the warehouse blasted apart. Fireworks shot into the air. A mix of red, blue, green, and orange.

“We certainly did that inconspicuously.” He chuckled at the thunderous crack of the fireworks.

She chimed a laugh. “That’s how I roll.”

Inside, the hiss and squeal of the demons screeched into the night air. They flailed against the warehouse’s walls and windows, but the light vanquished them before they could escape.

“Fuck, yeah. Go back to
Dìyù
. Bloody demons.” He kicked a rock at the burning building.

Beside him, Nat released a low hiss. “We got them, but more will come. We have to go.”

“No argument here.”

He followed her to the dock. “You didn’t mean back to Kek Lok Si, did you.” Not a question.

She unhooked a small motorboat and hopped inside, dumping her duffle bag at her feet. She cranked the motor and lifted her gaze to his as the low hum filled the air between them.

“I’m not going back. Not yet. Please understand. There’s something I have to do first.”

He frowned. “What?”

“I can’t tell you.” She bit her lip.

“Well.” He glanced back as a demonic screech echoed in the distance. “You going to leave me on the shore for another round or can I come with you?” A second howl answered back. He vaulted into the boat. “Actually, I’m not giving you a choice. Let’s get the fuck out of here. Yeah?”

She swallowed hard and stared in the direction of the screeching. “Yeah.”

He clambered through the boat and changed seats with her to drive. She shuffled around him, her lush ass in his face for a second, and he clenched his fists to stop from hauling her onto his lap.

That would have to wait. Right now, not becoming demon fodder was the game plan.

He started the engine and blasted forward. The small vessel bumped through the water as he sped out of the harbor. Hopefully, the gas tank was full. He tilted his head at Nat. “Where to?”

She pursed her lips as though recalculating her plans. “I planned to hop a plane. I guess that’s out of the question. At least until daylight. It’s about five hours to Langkawi. Let’s shoot for there.”

Langkawi? The island was a popular tourist destination, with gorgeous white sandy beaches and tropical resorts. “Why? Working on your tan?”

She scowled. “You have a better idea?”

“I do.” He grinned and veered the boat east. After Sheng had blown up their hideaway island a couple of months ago, his
Kongsi
had bought a new one. The house wasn’t built yet, but they owned the entire island. It would be a good place to hang while he figured out what to do about Nat.

And Snake.

“You going to tell me where we’re going?”

His grin widened. “Nope. This time, the plan’s all mine, sweetheart.”

Chapter 23

Nat glared at Kassian for a few seconds before giving up on waiting for his answer. It didn’t matter. He might be headed to a secret meet-up with the others. Or bringing her to Lucy so she could rip Snake from Nat.

At this point, she had no other options. He’d hijacked his ticket onto her boat and she was stuck with him.

Too exhausted to fight back, she laid her arms across her thighs, dropped her head to rest on them, and drifted off to sleep.

The scrape of the boat’s bottom against sand jolted Nat awake. She blinked into blinding sunlight and planted her hands on the boat’s sides to keep from pitching forward. Kassian hopped out and dragged the boat a few feet onto shore, his thick, brawny muscles bunching enticingly. “Morning, sunshine.”

Yeah, sunshine was right. “What time is it?” She craned her neck and squinted at the blinding ball high in the sky.

“Around noon, I’d wager.” Kassian cast her a panty-wetting grin. Whoa. What was he so happy about?

She grumbled as she lurched out of the boat and steadied her feet on the wet sand. He’d deposited them on a nice patch of white beach. Hell, if she had a good book, she’d be happy to rest here for a few hours.

This was not part of her mission. This was wasting precious time.

“I don’t see any planes.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Yep. No people, either. The
Kongsi
owns this island. She’s a beaut, eh?”

She didn’t bother glancing around. “Yeah, sure, but I need a plane, not a vacation.”

“I know. Follow me.” He led them down an overgrown path through the jungle.

The swarm of vines and strewn rocks dissipated as they neared a clearing. Trees had been cut down, huge stumps left in their wake. The branches were scattered to the side, clumped into haphazard piles. She sidestepped over the debris and followed Kassian. He removed a weathered tarp from a massive object and set the cover on a wooden workbench.

A helicopter? Her elation fizzled as she approached. The piece of crap required more than a paint job. Rusted panels, propellers bent at odd angles, and a weird, musty stench wafted from inside the cabin.

“Yeah, no.” She clamped her hands on her hips. “Maybe you didn’t hear me correctly. When I said I needed a plane, I meant an aircraft that can get airborne.”

“She could use a little love. Give me two days and I’ll have her in the air.”

“Two days? Why don’t we take the boat to shore?” She waved toward the motorboat.

“Because it ran out of gas and I’ve been paddling for three hours. Drifting out on the ocean isn’t how I’d choose to die.”

Oh, crap. She must have slept right through when she should have been awake and helping. She groaned and jerked her chin toward the helicopter. “Can you even fly that?”

“Yep. PPL-H Certified. That’s private pilot license for helicopters.”

“Okay, fine. Two days. Then what?” She braced for the words.
Reclaim the Snake.

He shrugged. “We do whatever you snuck away to do. You going to tell me what that is?”

She pressed her lips together. She trusted him and she could use the help, but… How would he view her once he learned of her plans?

“Okay.” He brushed off her silence, shrugging. “Well, I’ve got two days and, believe me, darling, I’m quite adept at interrogation.”

“Oh, really?” She laughed…until he stepped closer. The sun might be blazing down on them, but the heat between her and Kassian lit up like a bonfire, permeating every inch of her skin and igniting her blood. One look from him did things to her. Naughty things.

Worst of all, he’d kick-started her heart, jolting the organ into a pounding, frenzied beating inside her chest. He twisted emotions of yearning through her she had no business feeling.

As he took another step toward her, any trace of reasoning abandoned her brain, but she managed to spew out, “How do you even know how to fix that thing? Or fly it?”

His dimple popped as he leaned forward, propping one hand on the tree trunk behind her. “Let’s see. I don’t drink, I don’t party. I don’t hook up with women. Got a lot of time on my hands.”

She swallowed hard as the heat of his large body threatened to melt her into a puddle.

He shoved off the tree and left her dizzy. She blinked while he headed toward what appeared to be a small tool shed. He’d restated the fact he didn’t sleep with women, but all she’d registered was the pounding of her heart from his nearness.

Damn, she was smitten with a man she could never have. Even if not for his vows, for hers.

She sank, the rough bark of the coconut tree scraping her spine until her butt collapsed to the soft sand. Two days. She could survive two measly days on a deserted island with the world’s most tempting man, right?

As if the universe conspired against her, Kassian shucked his black T-shirt, revealing chiseled abs, biceps the size of her waist, and shoulders her palms ached to explore. The lower half of him was no less seductive in the black shorts he wore, displaying his thick, muscled thighs. His body was one long, solid mass of honed edges. She’d love to lick those bronzed muscles from head to toe and discover if he tasted as good as he looked. He would. Oh, he definitely would.

She ought to stop gawking at him, but they were stuck on this empty island with nothing for her to do except watch him work. Such a hardship.

His biceps bulged, beads of glistening sweat formed like diamonds on his skin. The man was an expert with his hands. Sliding under the vessel, he went to work on the small helicopter like he’d done this a thousand times before. Methodical, thoughtful, and smooth.

He was that way in bed. Yep, he’d—

She groaned and jolted to her feet. Gawking at Kassian while he labored proved to be the worst of her ideas. She stripped off her clothes and stormed toward the beach. What she needed was cold water.

A hell of a lot of cold water.

***

Holy shit. One minute, Nat ogled him with desire-darkened eyes, the next, she stripped and bee-lined for the ocean.

Hell. He stared at the wrench in his hand and tried to recall what the fuck he was going to do with it, but all he pictured was the curve of Nat’s luscious, nude ass. How was a man supposed to work in conditions like these? He slammed the wrench down on the pallet beside him and crawled out from beneath the helicopter’s belly.

Shoving to his feet, he patted the side of the helicopter. He might have stretched the truth a tad when he’d said it would take him two days to repair it. A couple more hours would probably do the trick. He scraped his hand down his jaw. A pity the aircraft wasn’t in worse shape.

After he grabbed some supplies from the shed, he attempted to distract himself by setting up a bed. He snorted. Because making a bed would take his mind of sleeping with Nat, right?

Two days. He had that long to pull the truth from her. Whatever she planned, it sure as hell sounded like an endgame. She’d risked everything to sneak away. The Matchmaker might never forgive her for this. Lotus had rules, didn’t they? Disobedience would be more than frowned upon. Would Nat be punished? What would the penance be for breaking the rules? He’d bet the Matchmaker would come up with something nasty, because no one ever fucking broke her rules.

Except Nat.

Although, he was also at fault. A point he’d drive home. Argue, twist facts, he’d do anything for Nat. By becoming an accomplice in her schemes, he’d sealed his fate to hers.

He exhaled, the air releasing from his chest and the burn building as his lungs protested. He seized the discomfort, using it to bring clarity to his mind, and grabbed another stack of crates.

The consequences didn’t matter. The rest of his life. One year or one day. A single broken vow or every fucking one. From the moment she’d waltzed back into his life, his path had been set upon this course. Ox’s vision of Snake killing someone fueled his determination. If he couldn’t convince Nat to give up Snake, he’d make damn sure that future never came to pass. He’d watch over her, protect her, and stand by her side. For as long as she’d allow him to.

He needed Nat. That had never changed and it never would. She was a light in his darkness. Even if the flame flickered from afar, the brilliance eased the abyss.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and assessed his project. Okay, so the bed didn’t resemble a picture from a resort brochure. No canopy with billowing white sheets or plush, colored pillows.

Instead, it was a wooden platform constructed from four pallets with a two-inch air mattress tossed overtop. The blue sheets covering the mattress were clean, though. He’d piled six smaller crates in stacks of two along the back side to create a headboard. The palm trees’ intersecting branches overhead formed a green canopy. Sunlight peeked through the slits in the leaves.