CHAPTER 11
GEARY WOKE UP AT DAWN FEELING INVIGORATED. SHE'D had a restful, dream-free sleep the night before and now she was anxious to be about the excavation. It was time to get cracking and set fire to the world.
Tory was already up and dressed, sitting in the corner with a flashlight as she reviewed pictures of their site. She looked like an eerie specter in the darkness.
"What are you doing?" Geary asked.
Tory pushed her glasses up on her nose and gave Geary a wistful look. "Wishing I could dive with you.
It would be so cool to be down there and be the first on site, touching everything."
Geary nodded, at two hundred feet down, it was far too deep for Tory, who was only a recreational diver. Not to mention, it was just too dangerous for her to chance. Both Jason and Tory's father had died during diving accidents. That was one family legacy Geary had no intention of bequeathing to anyone.
"Next time."
Tory sighed. "Yeah. Just keep the live feed going so that I can see it and pretend I'm there, too."
"Yes, my queen. Anything else you'd like?"
Tory grinned. "A million dollars and Brad Pitt."
As Geary threw back the covers and left her bed she laughed at Tory's stock answer. "You forgot world peace."
"I'm feeling a bit selfish today. Teenage hormonal overdose, I think. Or just general excitement."
Geary rolled her eyes as she went to brush her teeth. It didn't take her long to get dressed. As eager to get started as Tory, she all but sprinted to the upper deck. The sky was just starting to lighten. Pink was laced with the blue as orange broke through in ribbons that spiraled above her, promising her good weather for the dive and excavation. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the fishy scent of the sea and smiled.
It was a good day to be alive.
And grateful to the man who'd given her this dream, she went to the hammock to wake him.
Only Arik wasn't there. He lay on the deck with his back to her. Afraid he was ill, she rushed over to him and knelt by his side.
"Arik?"
He groaned ever so slightly as she shook him. Rolling onto his back, he opened his eyes, and she saw a slight bruise on his forehead.
"What are you doing on the deck?"
Arik gestured to the hammock above him. "I fell out of the hammock while I was sleeping."
"On your head?"
"Apparently. Good thing it's hard, huh?"
She grimaced at his misplaced humor.
Arik's breath caught as she gently brushed the hair back from his brow to examine his cheek and
forehead. The look of concern on her face was enough to make him want to bruise himself again to see if she'd duplicate it.
Luckily, he wasn't that masochistic.
Yet.
"You need to be more careful."
"I intend to," he said honestly. He wasn't about to let the Dolophoni get the drop on him again. While on the boat he was semiprotected, since they wouldn't cause a commotion in front of a group of humans.
At least that was the lie he was telling himself. The problem with the Dolophoni was that they didn't really have a set of rules to follow that anyone knew. You merely hoped they'd abide by the ones set down for everyone else.
In the end, they, like the Chthonians, were a law unto themselves. The only difference being that the Cthonians truly had no one holding their leash. At least with the Dolophoni, the Erinyes could call them off. Not that they did that often. The Furies had a tendency to revel in conflict, and there was nothing they loved more than a good bloodbath.
Megeara sat back on her heels to stare at him. The dawn's light highlighted her hair and made it glow.
Her cheeks were pink, and all he could think of was the hours he'd spent kissing those lips.
And the hours more he'd like to spend making love to her.
He was already hard for her, wanting to taste her again. Why wouldn't she grab him in this realm the way she did in the other?
"You are so beautiful."
She gave him a doubting look. "Man, you hit your head hard, didn't you?"
He frowned. "Why can't you take a compliment?"
"Because I'm just not used to them. I come from a family that doesn't believe in randomly patting people on the back. The assumption is if no one's yelling at you, you're doing a great job. And no one ever complimented each other on appearances. Those are trivial. It's what's inside that matters."
His smile turned gentle and guileless. "And you're even more beautiful there."
Geary merely stared at him. What did a woman say to that? "Thank you." But that was extremely inadequate for what she felt. Everything about Arik touched her deep and made her want to stay with him.
"Hey, Gear?"
She turned at Teddy's call. "Yeah?"
"We got a kink in the dredge. Justina is working on it right now. I just wanted to let you know."
"Thanks."
Geary pulled back and smiled at Arik. "We've got a lot to do. You feeling up to it?"
"Absolutely. I'm here to help."
And over the next hour as they prepared the boat and equipment, he proved to be true to his word. No matter how hard or dirty the task, he lent himself to it without complaint.
They were just about to weigh anchor when Solin showed up on the docks looking perfectly groomed and highly offended.
His eyes heated, he boarded the boat and made his way straight to Geary. "You weren't about to leave me, were you, Doctor?"
Geary didn't know what to say. Honestly, she'd forgotten about him.
Luckily, Arik showed up at that moment and distracted Solin from chastising her. A stern frown creased Solin's brow as he noted the slight bruise on Arik's brow. "What happened to you?"
"He fell out of his hammock last night," Geary explained. "And if you two will excuse me, I want to get under way immediately."
Arik didn't speak until he was alone with Solin.
"Hammock?" Solin said with a mocking laugh. "It looks more like you had a run-in with something hard."
"I did. The Dolophoni showed up last night in my dreams."
Solin went completely still. Anger radiated out of him with such ferocity that it actually singed Arik. One would think they'd attacked him instead. "How many?"
"Ten."
Solin arched a shocked brow. "And you lived? I have to say I'm surprised."
"I don't go down easily."
"Apparently. So how did you get away from them?"
"They pulled back after I killed one of them, then-"
Solin gaped. "You what?" he asked in disbelief.
"I killed one of them."
Solin gave him a look of supreme respect. "How did you manage that?"
"I'm real good at what I do." He didn't say that arrogantly, he was only stating fact.
"Yeah, and have you any idea of the firestorm you've just unleashed for yourself? The Dolophoni don't
like people to get the better of them."