Thorn ground his teeth. “Is it too late to summon an angry sea deity and sink this place?”
Acheron gave him a cocky grin. “I can think of a vicious goddess of destruction who would love to help you out in that department. Especially since she’s not overly fond of him. However, there is one serious downside to releasing her.”
Will cocked his head. “That is?”
“End of the world,” the captain answered. “Hence the whole ‘goddess of destruction’ moniker, lad. Goes with the territory.”
“Mmm,” Acheron concurred. “Much like Sallie’s soul, once she comes out of her container, she’s a little hard to put back in it.”
“Aye, but the last time she came out, she sank Atlantis.” Thorn glanced about the island. “This is considerably smaller than that. I’m thinking…”
A bolt of lightning flew at his head.
Thorn deflected it. “You missed me, Savitar.”
A coconut hit him in the back so hard that it left him facedown in the sand.
“No, I didn’t.” The disembodied voice was plain and clearly Savitar’s.
“I seriously hate you, Chthonian.”
With no comment on that—or help, either—Acheron led the Deadmen toward Savitar’s hall that stood on a hill in the center of the island.
Kalder stayed on the beach with Cameron.
“Is something wrong?”
“A bad feeling in me gut, is all. I just can’t seem to shake it.”
She nodded as she scanned the horizon. “I feel it, too.”
It wasn’t just about his brother. Or hers. There was something more. Something he couldn’t name. Only sense. And that made this all the worse.
Not sure about much of anything other than the desperate need he had to keep her safe, Kalder took her hand into his and placed his mother’s ring on her finger.
“What are you doing?”
“I know nothing of me real and true mother. But if what thecaptain said about her and this ring was the truth, I want you to have this.”
“What ifyouget into trouble?”
“I’m always in trouble.” He winked at her. “There’s never anything new to that, love. You know me. But I want you to have some way to protect yourself.” Kalder brushed her damp hair away from her cheek and smiled at her wilted state. “Did I tell you earlier how beautiful you are?”
She snorted. “On with you, love. You’re such a dashing liar with those honeyed words and sweet tongue. Think you I don’t know what a mess I be right now? Look like something the cat hacked up on the floor and scattered about a bit, I do.”
He kissed her lips and nuzzled his face against her soft cheek so that he could breathe in the sweet scent of her skin. “Nay, me love. You’re still the prettiest thing to me eyes. Always. And I can prove it.”
“How’s that?”
Cameron didn’t really expect him to meet her challenge. Not until he pulled back with a wicked gleam in those mismatched eyes and took her hand into his. Cupping her chin in his palm, he kissed her while he led their entwined hands down his body so he could press her fingers against the part of him that was swollen with need.
Her eyes widened at the unexpected size of him.
“Are you still in doubt?”
Nay, no one could doubtthat. ’Twas truly something to behold—in more ways than one. But she found it incredible that a man such as he would crave her so. And especially to this extent.
Yet even so, she was terrified of what the morrow would bring for them.
