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Kahn let out a shaky breath. Randa had chosen to live. The strength of the woman awed him.

“You’ll figure it out.” Isaacs slumped against the wall beside her, his energy flagging again now that Randa was eating on her own. “Take your time. No one can be as indestructible as me, all at once.” He closed his eyes, clearly in agony.

Randa shoved some gruel in his mouth while he wasn’t looking.

He gagged on it, his eyes flashing open to glare at her.

Randa glared back.

Isaacs seemed to like that. His lips curved tiredly, staring at her as he chewed.

“I survived a crazy man once before.” Randa almost seemed like she was talking to herself. “He ripped me out of my kingdom and brought me to his. He wanted to collect me, I think. Like an exotic animal in a zoo. I got away, back then…”

“…And you can get away now.” Isaacs finished for her.

Kahn scowled. He hadn’t seen her kidnapped by anyone. Damn memory-sharings. You couldn’t pick and choose which events to revisit. Was she talking about Jarrod, King of the Stone House? Why would he take her to another kingdom?

“You’ll survive too, so long as you keep breathing.” She eyed Isaacs’ chest, like the uneven inhalations worried her. “Can Air Phases die from collapsed lungs?”

“I’m okay.” He didn’t look okay. His head lulled against the wall. “I’m going to ignore you, once we get out of here, you know. No offense. It’ll be safer for us both. And if you ever tell anybody I was nice to you, I’ll deny it.”

“Relax. You weren’t that nice.” She fed him some more gruel.

Isaacs’ smile got a little bigger.

Kahn let out a controlled breath, seeing her resolve harden. Knowing that she’d come through this, because Randa truly was indestructible. She’d proven that time and again.

His Match was a warrior.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain,

the sound of wind in a primeval wood,

and the sound of outer ocean on a beach.

Henry Beston

Randa came back to reality with a snap. Her panicked gaze immediately slammed into Kahn’s, hopelessly hoping that the memory-sharing had only happened to her. As soon as she saw the astonishment in his black eyes, she knew that Kahn had seen into her past.

Terror engulfed her. Instinctive and unstoppable.

Without even thinking about it first, she leapt to her feet. “Heart!” She bellowed at him. “Safe word. Safe word. Heart.”

“Randa!”

She was already running out of the restaurant.

January in Mayport Beach tended to have beautiful, balmy weather. But it was Florida, so sometimes it still rained. Randa was so accustomed to the climate that she barely noticed the drizzle. She hadn’t bothered to bring a coat to dinner, so she quickly grew damp.

The restaurant was situated on the beach. Beside it, a walkway ran parallel to the sand, inviting people for a stroll. Randa didn’t stroll. She ran down the lighted walkway with no real destination in mind. She just followed the boards, focusing on the sound of her feet slapping on the wood. Past the pier. Past the Wastin’ Away Bar and Grille. Past the marina.

Unfortunately, the town wasn’t that big. After a few minutes of sprinting, she found herself at the end of the cozy boardwalk. It terminated at the Mayport Beach Municipal Gardens, which was still decorated for the New Year’s celebration. Colorful lanterns festooned the trees and circular lights were strung across the path. In the misty rain, it created a lovely watercolor effect.

Randa barely noticed.

Or maybe she refused to notice.