Page 69 of Sapphire Flame
“Mine was no different. Even a cold shower didn’t help.”
“Ah, so that’s why the water was arctic.”
“Yup.”
She hugged him and laughed. “Okay. Okay.” She was breathing hard. “We’re kind of in this in the craziest way. Wow.”
“You said it.”
She nodded. “Okay. So what time do we meet Neil?”
“Nine.” He handed her the soap. “If we want a meal, and I definitely need one, we should get a move on.”
~ ~ ~
Grant was fuming. They’d only been at Neil’s for a couple of minutes and already the proximity was killing him. He didn’t want Neil anywhere near Natalie.
Neil wasn’t exactly the most attractive man just now. To Grant’s eye, the warlock looked like death on a slow, revolving spit. Still, he would be taking them to a belowground level in a small European-looking contraption that had to be over a hundred years old and really short of space.
“This is a French elevator,” Natalie observed.
Neil glanced back at her. “It is. It’s very old.” He stepped inside. “It’s also the only way down.” The elevator was made of wrought iron and was completely open to the air.
Grant’s sole focus, however, was on how close Natalie would have to get to the warlock in order for all three of them to fit inside.
Natalie followed Neil then Grant squeezed himself in.
The three of them barely fit. Parts of the soon-to-be wizard were touching Natalie, like the sleeve of his shirt and probably his elbow. He couldn’t exactly see but he didn’t care. Neil shouldn’t be touching her at all.
The elevator began its descent.
Grant’s jaw worked. He’d barely made peace with Neil and something about him, maybe his damn good looks despite his current deathlike appearance, had Grant gripping Natalie’s hand tighter still.
Her voice hit his mind.Loosen up, warrior, or I’ll lose my fingers to a lack of circulation.
His gaze shifted to Natalie. She looked up at him and smiled, a quirky tilt of her lips that tightened his heart. He released her hand, slid his own to the nape of her neck then kissed her forehead.Apologies. My wolf doesn’t like this cage.
It really is a cage, though a very pretty one, isn’t it?
The elevator landed at the bottom with a thud and a clang. Neil opened the doors manually. Having gotten in last, Grant left the cage first. But he turned back and reached for Natalie. She took his hand and he drew her close.Apologies, but I need this right now.
You don’t have to explain. I’m feeling it, too, a need to stick close.
Good.
“Oh, my God.” Natalie’s words turned his attention to the first belowground floor of Neil’s home. Grant had never been here before.
The space was palatial in size, though subterranean in feel. The walls were either exposed rock and chipped with a design or inlaid with more stones of all shapes, sizes and color. Lighting had been built into the floor all around the perimeter. Down the center of the space were seating areas in a rich purple, silver and black. The ceiling of what felt like a massive cave was inlaid with silver tiles. All of it felt purposeful to Grant.
“You entertain here?” Natalie said.
“Not exactly.” Neil pressed a hand to his side. “This space is more about wizardry than anything else.”
A faint breeze flowed from the far end, then vanished. At first Grant thought it was the air conditioning system. But a few seconds later, his wolf got agitated. Fur erupted on his cheekbones.
Natalie squeezed his hand hard. When he turned to look at her, he saw that her eyes were hunting the room like something was there, but unseen, and her wolf-sign had appeared in iridescent ripples over her cheeks.
Grant addressed Neil. “What the hell is going on? My wolf is telling me to run.”
