“What’s that got to do with anything?”
He laughed. A deep rumble that shivered down her spine. “Everything.” He glanced at her hand. “You’re Vedic, right?”
Her fingers flexed. “The mehndi give me away.”
“That’s what you call the markings?” His gaze traced the trail of a design up her hand. “You’re born with them?”
She nodded. “Our scientists believe they evolved over the millennia. Before that, legend says the ancestors painted them on with ink for special occasions.”
“They’re beautiful.”
Eos blinked. His eyes had turned a brighter shade of aquamarine. She swallowed and an errant thought blazed across her brain. What would he think of the markings on her back?
Dathan shook his head. “Ah, anyway…what I know of your world, it’s pretty peaceful. Calm.”
He made Vedia sound boring. “We aren’t plundering, risk-taking treasure hunters.”
His lips quirked. “Well, the rest of us mere mortals aren’t so good with our impulse control.”
She thought back on the fight. “You liked the fight.” She sniffed. “All three of you did.”
“Nothing like a woman’s scorn to sting a man.” He pushed open a door. “Come on, take a seat.”
The room was tiny, not much more than a storage area, but it was well organized. Medical supplies were stacked and labeled with precision on the shelves. “I guess you guys get banged up a lot?”
After she sat on a bench pushed against one wall, Dathan sat on a stool. He snapped on a bright lamp and moved closer to check her cheek.
His face was inches from hers. The light was blinding, so his features were in shadow. She could make out his lips, though. Nicely shaped and far too full for a man.
“Okay, definitely nothing broken.” He reached back. When he straightened, he was holding a slim metallic object. “I’ll have it healed in a few secs.”
A medscope. The small object was capable of healing most simple to moderate injuries in a matter of minutes. They were very expensive. She sat still as he held it over her cheek. It bathed her in blue light.
“There you go.” He snapped the scope off. “I am sorry you got caught in our fight.”
“I’m fine.” She cocked her head. “Who was Niklas talking about? The man you want to prove wrong?”
Dathan’s mouth firmed into a line. “Nobody.”
She fingered her cheekbone and watched the shadows dance in his eyes. “Sometimes it hurts worse to hold it in.” When sherealized what she said, heat filled her cheeks. Suva, she didn’t want to know Dathan Phoenix’s nightmares.
But he zeroed in on her now. “Let’s just say he’s the person who taught me to always be on my toes and watch for the ulterior motive.”
Did he really believe that? When he stood and pulled his shirt off, her thoughts scattered.
She got another view of his sleek body and her mouth went dry. When he turned to the side, she hissed in a breath.
“This happened just now?” She jumped off the bench and looked at the nasty cut on his side.
“No. Darc did it during our scuffle over the timepiece. I just hadn’t had a chance to heal it before you arrived.”
She bent over and studied the ragged edges of the cut. It was deep. “He threw a shuriken at you?”
“You know your ancient weapons.”
“Of course I do, it’s my job. I’ve always been fascinated by the weapons of ancient Japan.” Especially the small bladed throwing stars. “I didn’t know anyone still used them.”
“Yep. Well, a certain treasure hunter likes to mix the old with the new. And it was ashe.”
