Siren's Serenade (The Wiccan Haus) (8 page)

Handing Serena an ornate wooden box, he paused for a second before turning to leave. “This is for you, and you both have ten minutes to get your asses in the dining room.”

Serena closed the door behind her and moved into the kitchen area where Kaleb stood in his still-wet swim trunks. She handed him the wooden box. He let out a laugh when he lifted the top. Before Serena could ask, he held up a handful of condoms in a variety of colors.

“Do we need another box?” she asked.

“They seem to have a great deal more confidence in my stamina than I do.”

Serena licked her lips just thinking about the ways they could use those condoms.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop. If we don’t show up to dinner, one of those security goons will probably break down your door.”

“You’re no fun.” She pouted.

“Is that so? I’ll show you after dinner just how fun I can be. Now go and change.”

From somewhere outside the cabin they heard Cyrus yell, “Five minutes!”

Chapter Five

K
ALEB
S
AT
O
N
N
ATURAL
U
NDERWATER
stone bench that ran along the inner rim of the hot springs, Serena straddling him. The sun’s rays played over the water as the sun made its final descent into the west. Kaleb’s fingers went to his new necklace and the sea glass now attached to it; Sarka had, as a favor for Serena helping Yavonka get over her fears of the water, fashioned the glass into a necklace. Kaleb had only taken it off once since, and even then he’d found he didn’t want it gone. Strange, the need to touch a piece of glass, but there it was; when he couldn’t touch it, Kaleb felt empty somehow.

The past several days had gone at a far different pace than the first couple; he no longer took classes on
breathing
and
finding your center
. He was now in sessions that were physically draining and seemed more like training than healing. Was there something healing about getting your ass kicked by the security guard from hell? But Kaleb had to admit, after each session he did feel stronger and more centered.

His meals had changed too. No longer was he given grubs and greens—now it was protein and carbs. He had free time in the afternoon to swim, but did his best to stay away from where Serena was working with Yavonka. She seemed more at peace, as well. He wasn’t sure if it was that they no longer fought their needs for each other or if she just enjoyed helping the young woman with the missing arm learn to swim again.

But when Cyrus suggested he stay on another week for more healing, Kaleb had hesitated. He’d felt ready to head back and hoped that he could pass his psych eval this time so he could return to work. It was only when Cemil mentioned that Serena had agreed to extend her stay to help Yavonka that Kaleb agreed to stay, on the one condition that they move him into Serena’s cabin. He hadn’t actually spent another night in his room since they finally made love. After a few whispers between the three present siblings and a growl from Rekkus, they agreed.

So the next week began much as the last had ended. He woke early to make love to Serena and then had a quick breakfast in the dining hall. Serena would go off to do whatever she did when not working with Yavonka, and he would head off to tai chi with Cemil, followed by a strange form of aikido with Rekkus—also known as
getting your ass kicked by a big thug with attitude—
then lunch where he ate alone, a quick swim, a massage with Lakshmi, and then back to getting his ass kicked by Rekkus. If Rekkus was unavailable for the ass-kicking, Cyrus seemed more than willing to take over. But Kaleb’s evenings were free, free to walk the island with Serena.

Their favorite place to go, the hot springs, was way off the beaten track. His achy muscles never seemed to hurt much after sitting in the hot water, and although she wouldn’t swim with him in the ocean and certainly not at the lake—they had been warned
ad nauseum
to stay away—she had no issues making love to him and draining the rest of his energy at the springs.

Serena laid her head against his shoulder. “I don’t think I can walk home.”

Home.
He loved the sound of that but wondered what would happen when he left in four days. He feared he was falling in love for the first time in his life, but Serena was here for a while to come, and though he could justify one more week, beyond that he knew it was time to go. “I can carry you.”

“What? Have I left you with so much energy you can hike with not just your weight but mine as well?” Still straddling him, she lifted up to look at him in the glowing moonlight, her fingers grazing his shoulder. “Your bruise is already fading.”

Looking at his shoulder, he nodded; she was right, it was fading. All of his injuries healed much quicker on the island. “It will just be replaced by another tomorrow.”

“He’s a brute.”

“He’s a hard task master. And I’m getting better already. By the end of the week, I might be actually able to take him down.”

“Let me come see that.” Serena smiled, her eyes twinkling He loved her like this, when she was relaxed and herself. She was always at ease in the water. On land she tried so hard. Like she knew she didn’t fit in. At first, he had chalked it up to her past relationship with Rekkus and the tension there. But both she and Rekkus acted the exact same no matter who was around. With the exception of when Dana was around—then, Rekkus went from what he would call a wild animal to a pussy cat in seconds.

Interesting, that. He supposed even the mighty fall sometimes.

But still the unanswered questions swirled in his brain about what the hell was going on under the surface of this island. Kaleb had stumbled across a bizarre barracks-like building in the woods. Though empty, it was definitely ready for occupants—and soon. And there was a second dock on the other side of the island that he would have missed had he not stopped to retie his shoe. Only when he was in a kneeling position did the camouflage around the dock seem odd enough to make him give it a closer look. The small shed-like building housed a state of the art cigarette boat, capable of high speeds.

Then there was the unexplained boom followed by what he would have assumed was an earthquake on Saturday morning, waking him from a deep sleep. He had jumped up and run to stand under the doorway, years of training come to life. Serena had refused to budge from the bed and mumbled something about it happening at sunup and sundown every Saturday before going to sleep again. Sure enough, the boom happened again at sunset and he wondered how he had missed that the day he’d arrived.

But then he remembered he had been asleep and Rekkus had said something about Sage “over doing it.” He wondered if the Rowans were drugging people, but he couldn’t figure out why. They genuinely seemed to want to help those staying on their island. Well, the lighter two did. The darker two brooded, and Cyrus did seem to get great pleasure out of throwing Kaleb to the ground—by far his favorite move. Sarka just ignored everyone unless forced to acknowledge them. But Kaleb had noticed she was the only one to use the first elevator.

Soft lips against his pulse brought him back from his musing. “You’re an insatiable minx.”

“Only with you.” Serena pulled back again, and her hands cradled his face. “I don’t want you to leave on Saturday.”

“I can’t stay here. I need to get back to work, or at least try.”

She looked away and sighed, a sound that ripped at something inside of him. “I know but…”

“You could come to Alaska.”

She lifted her head with a jolt. “You would want me to come to Alaska? To be with you?”

“I just asked you, didn’t I?”

“Alaska is really cold.”

“Is that a yes?”

She pulled away from him and floated to the center of the pool. “I want to say yes.”

“Then say yes.” When Serena didn’t answer, he moved toward her. He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. So many emotions swirled in her eyes. A part of Kaleb thrilled that she was at least considering it, but the other part of him felt the bitter stab of disappointment that she hadn’t jumped at the idea. He’d never asked a woman to live with him before, so to do so now and have her stumble over her answer was a blow.

“It’s not that easy.”

“Yes
.” He drew out the word as long as he could. “Very easy.”

She sighed one of those sighs that women the world over made when they thought men didn’t have a single brain cell between them. “I can’t explain now, but I want to come. I really do. I’m just not sure how we would make it work.”

“We leave here on the boat that takes us back to the mainland. From there we drive to Bangor and catch a flight to Alaska.”

She gnawed her bottom lip and pushed away. Damn it, he wasn’t going to beg her to follow him. Lifting his arms from the water, he pulled himself out to sit on the edge of the spring. When she didn’t make any move to turn back toward him, Kaleb cursed, got to his feet, and walked over to the discrete towel rack a few feet away.

“Is the thought of living with me so troubling?”

“No! It’s not that.”

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he turned back to her. “Then what is it? Explain it to me.”

“Alaska is really cold.”

“Yes, it can be cold, but it’s summer right now and the temperatures aren’t much different there than they are here.” When she didn’t answer, he grabbed his pants, pulled them on, jammed his feet into his shoes, and started walking away. “You know what? If all you wanted was a holiday lay, then you should have just said so.”

Angry at her, disgusted with himself, and peeved with the damned Master Chief who had him sent here, Kaleb stormed down the moonlit path toward the cabin. He didn’t really want to go back there, not tonight, and he cursed giving up his room. Why the hell didn’t this place have a bar or something? A fucking beer would definitely do the trick right now.

God, how stupid could he be, thinking she would follow him to Alaska or thinking she was interested in anything other than his cock?

“Mother fucker!”

“Excuse me?”

Dana?
Kaleb looked to either side, and he saw her coming out of the wooded area, basket in hand. “What are you doing in the woods at this time of the night?”

“I wanted some apples.” She smiled and handed him one.

Kaleb took it, not sure why, but took it nonetheless. “You couldn’t have waited until morning? Where’s Rekkus?”

“Why does everyone ask that? We aren’t joined at the hip. And if I want an apple, I will get an apple.” She actually stomped her foot and headed down the path.

Okay, crazy hormonal woman.
Kaleb put up his hands in defeat. “At least let me walk you back.”

“Suit yourself,” she mumbled before stopping so fast Kaleb nearly bumped into her. “Sorry, I’m just feeling a little smothered right now, and with the full moon coming, it’s only going to get worse. Rekkus won’t let me out at night in a few more days, and you know I love the big lug, but he can be a bit on the high-handed side.”

“You don’t say?” He wanted to say,
No kidding,
but felt it better to keep his opinions to himself. He grabbed the basket of apples from her for a lack of something better to do.

“Where’s Serena?”

“We aren’t joined at the hip, you know.”

Dana smiled, and her shoulders relaxed as she started walking again. “Sorry, really, but you two are never far from the other.”

“Yes, well, that will change soon. I’m leaving on Saturday.”

“And?”

“And I asked her to go with me, and in not so many words she let me know she wasn’t interested.”

“Oh. I see.”

“I’m glad someone does.”

“You’re heading back to Alaska, yes?”

He nodded, an uncomfortable lump forming in his throat.

“You do realize that other than her family’s hunting grounds and this island, she really hasn’t been anywhere else? I’m sure the thought of going to Alaska is terrifying for her. She’s never flown, and she really has to swim every day at least for her sanity. And in her mind, Alaska’s waters might be too cold.”

“There are indoor pools.”

“Right, but I doubt she knows about them.” He was about to question that crazy statement when Dana continued. “She’s led a sheltered life.”

“No one is that sheltered.” He thought for a second, then remembered their first conversation. “Okay, she has been sheltered.”

They got to her cabin, and Dana turned, taking the basket back. “One day, I hope she’ll really open up to you. There is so much about her you don’t know. But I think she loves you and I don’t think she’s ever felt that before.”

“Dana!”
Rekkus growled. Kaleb had ceased wondering how the man was able to make those deep strange sounds, and had even caught himself trying to mimic them in the shower. “Where the hell were you? Cyrus and I have been searching the damned island…”