Page 21 of Unforeseen Mate
So far, what the tarot card reader had revealed seemed to be playing itself out. What worried Fallon was the fifth card—the Seven of Swords: betrayal. Was the betrayal Nora’s? Squire’s? Or would Hayden ultimately betray her?
The last two cards had seemed at odds with the rest. The Emperor indicated an authority or master figure coming into her life. Hadn’t Mrs. Crane called Strode ‘Master?’ And the last card had been the Ace of Pentacles, having to do with financial opportunity. If Strode hadn’t agreed to her outrageous fee structure, she never would have been in a position to get herself kidnapped. Perhaps she was as much to blame as Nora. And where the hell did Hayden fit into all of this?
When they reached the end of the tunnel, Hayden flattened her against the wall, holding his finger to her lips to indicate he wanted her to be quiet. That seemed rather unnecessary as she hadn’t said a word since he’d taken her hand and led her through the passageway ending in what appeared to be a large cave.
“You stay here. I’ll be right back,” he whispered in her ear.
He moved stealthily into the cave, and she could hear him exiting. He returned almost immediately.
“There’s a private runway if we go up, but as it’s closer to the manor house, my guess is that it is guarded. We can head down to the beach. There’s a dock and a boathouse. We can follow the path down, and it will give us pretty good cover all the way to the pier, which is completely exposed. The problem is, the sun will be up within the hour and we’re going to need every bit of that time to get to the boathouse, get a boat, and then get to the boat I have stashed before we scuttle whatever boat we steal.”
“This is my first time being kidnapped and rescued. The boat sounds like we have a better shot at getting away, but how are we going to get down the dock to the boathouse?”
He cupped the back of her head in his hand, drew her forward and kissed her hard and fast. That brief brush of his lips against hers lit up her entire erotic system and she could feel arousal surging through her veins.
Grinning down at her, he said, “Hold that thought. I’m going to need to do something that will be frightening, and I don’t have time to explain. Can you trust that I will keep you safe?”
Not trusting her own voice, Fallon nodded.
He kissed her again. “As beautiful as you are, your bravery exceeds even that. Come on. I’ll tell you when we get to the scary part.”
She pulled back on his hand, and he turned to look at her. “For the record? This whole damn thing has been scary.”
“And yet you are willing to follow a naked man whom you’ve only seen in your dreams.”
“I figure you’re a damn sight safer than Strode.”
“I’m not sure everyone would agree with that, but where your safety is concerned, you are absolutely right. Let’s go. Follow me, stay close, and stay low.”
Fallon did as she’d been told and they made their way down to the beach, using the rocks, tall grasses and shadows to move quickly but quietly down the path. The good cover stopped approximately ten feet from the near end of the pier.
“This is the scary part,” he whispered before pulling her close.
She felt a kind of benign electrical buzzing, starting at her feet and rising up to encompass her entire body. Looking down, she could see that anything the electric charge had touched had disappeared. She looked at Hayden.
“You’re fine. You can feel everything, right?” She nodded. “Once the shimmer has enveloped you, you’ll be able to see everything again, but the world outside us will look like it’s covered in fog and is slightly out of focus. Just hang onto me. I’ll get us out.”
Again, she just nodded. The tingling continued to rise, and she watched as their bodies were erased from sight. Fallon began to worry if she would be able to breathe, but before she could panic, his mouth was on hers, nibbling at her lower lip, forcing her to focus on him. When she opened her eyes, she could see him again. They were surrounded by a kind of fog and the beach, pier, headland, ocean… everything looked as though someone needed to focus a camera lens.
“This way. They can’t see us or hear us. The only things they can see or hear are the things we interact with—a door opening, a plank on the pier creaking. Let’s go. Let me know if you feel like you’re overheating.”
They moved down the dock. Fallon felt as if she were some kind of wraith—some otherworldly being. It was frightening and empowering at the same time. The dock was wet. While its appearance was smudgy, she could feel every bit of the wet dock and the cold sea spray.
Cautiously, Hayden opened the door and led her inside the boathouse. There was one boat and he led her to it. Helping her aboard, he checked below deck to make sure there was no one else on board. He left her in the cockpit as he untied the boat and started the engine.
He touched her hand. “I told you to tell me if you were overheating.”
“Not exactly the most important thing I was worried about at the moment.”
Pulling her close, she felt the sizzle of the electrical field as it moved, this time from head to foot, reversing the way she perceived everything around them. Someone must have discovered their escape. There was a hue and cry as two sets of footsteps thundered down the pier.
“Abraham was out this evening. Let’s hope none of his goons are dragon-shifters.”
Hayden put the boat in reverse and began to speed backwards out of the boathouse. The door at the far end flew open as Hayden whipped the boat around and pushed the throttle forward, sending them skipping over the waves.
Shots rang out, whizzing by them. Some hit the water; others hit the deck. Fallon felt the bullet that entered her body from the side of her back, burned through her, and exited her torso at the front, grazing Hayden’s thigh before embedding itself in the bulkhead.
“Get down,” he growled, pushing the boat for more speed.
