Page 35 of River of Flames

"Something is wrong," he said, "and I would like very much—" He leaned toward me, his lips brushing the hollow beneath my ear—"to help you find out what it is."

"Yes," I said, "yes, I—"

And then I heard the sound of a door slamming down the hallway.

We jumped apart. Well, I jumped back, at any rate, while Luca watched with an amused expression.

I wanted to say more, wanted to hear how he was going to help me, wanted to feel his lips on my skin again and see what would happen if I didn't stop him, but then Raheem poked his head around the corner.

"Ah, there you two are. I'm not staying, but River, Blanton said if I saw you here to tell you not to come to the site. She wants you in the lab instead. There's a ton of stuff that needs processing."

I blinked at him, my brain still so foggy with Luca that it took a moment for his words to sink in.

"Right, of course."

"I can assist, if needed?" Luca asked, rising to his feet.

"No, I'm supposed to bring you back with me," Raheem said with a shake of his head. "Blanton has mapping questions for you. I think there's another section she wants you to take a look at."

"Of course," Luca said, turning to follow him. It took a concentrated effort to stop myself from reaching after him, but at the doorway he turned back.

"We will talk later, yes?" he said. "We will speak more of your…dilemma."

I gave a faint nod as Raheem raised an eyebrow in my direction, which I ignored until he left with Luca on his heels.

Once they were gone I collapsed into my seat at the table, grabbing my forgotten coffee cup and bringing it to my lips for a shaky sip.

What had just happened?

One thing was certain—I needed some normalcy. Ever since I'd landed in Velarta, things had been spiraling out of control. Cursed dig sites, crazy dreams, sleepwalking, being seduced by smoking hot Italians, blood-soaked clothing…it was too much. It was enough to drive a rational person insane. Maybe an afternoon in the lab was exactly what I needed.

With a decisive nod, I downed the rest of the coffee and rinsed the cup in the sink, then rose and grabbed my bag before hurrying down to the car.

The lab was thankfully empty, and I quickly lost myself in the monotony of washing, labeling, and cataloging artifacts. My mind was still spinning in circles, but every time a question rose to the surface—Was this sleepwalking thing going to be a problem every night?—I forcefully tamped it down. I didn't let myself think about the shock of waking up lost and confused in the middle of a field. I didn't let myself think about the feel of Luca's thumb rubbing circles in the crease of my elbow. I didn't let myself remember the sensation of his breath, hot on my neck. I didn't imagine the feel of Theo giving me a piggyback ride through the field, the shifting muscles of his back under my hands.

Nope. I didn't think about any of it. I just kept my head down and worked.

14

"Hey."

I looked up blearily from my sixth tray of artifacts and saw Raheem standing in the doorway, arms folded. I was exhausted from the night before, but I’d been working hard, determined to avoid further distractions.

"Hi," I said, yawning. I pushed the tray away and stood up, groaning as my back creaked in protest. "What's up?"

"Here."

I raised my eyebrows as he crossed the room and placed a crown of daisies on my head. "Uh…what's this?"

"What does it look like?" He stepped back, looking satisfied. "You're done for the day."

"I have two more—"

"Nope." Raheem reached for the bottle of acrylic gloss and screwed the lid on tight. "You don't have two more anything. You've been in this room for the past nine hours, and it's time to party."

“It’s seven o’clock on a Wednesday,” I pointed out.

“It’s seven o’clock on a Wednesday during Kupole.” Raheem picked up my bag and put it into my hands. "Come on. Blanton made dinner reservations."

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