As she fought for breath, her fingers sought her tingling lips. “Solo,” she said, wanting to call him back. She might not be ready for all, but that didn’t mean the kiss had to end.
His hands fisted at his sides.
Had she angered him? “I—I—” Had no idea what to say. How did you tell a man you wanted to kiss him, but you didn’t want to do anything else with him? Not yet, at least.
“When are the monsters due to return?” she asked, changing the subject.
He looked away from her. “A few hours. But don’t worry. You’ll stay right where you are, and I’ll lie beside you.”
He’d done that every time before, hadn’t he? The idea of his weight pressing against her . . . didn’t frighten her, she realized. It delighted her, her blood bubbling and fizzing with warmth.
Perhaps she was closer to wanting “all” than she’d realized.
“They’ll be unable to reach us,” he added, “and I won’t have to touch you.”
“I don’t mind—”
“What is this place?” he interjected.
Message received. Subject closed. Maybe that was for the best. “A world between worlds.”
He frowned. “Explain . . . please.”
Another rusty “please.” How could she resist? “Through his dark arts, my father learned how to move the circus from one city to another without ever having to take down or set up the tents and equipment or move the vehicles, and without ever having to take a step. Somehow he creates solar flares that open a portal from one location to another, but he has more trouble closing the flares, especially if we’re going a great distance, and sometimes we become trapped here.”
His frown deepened. “I know inter-world travel is possible, and that’s how the otherworlders came to earth, but I didn’t know average citizens could open portals on their own.”
“I doubt that they can. But then, my father isn’t exactly average, is he?”
“Well, I need to know what he knows.”
“Trust me, you don’t want to mess with the dark arts.”
Well, well. Good thing you listened to me, Dr. E said, his voice seeming to come out of nowhere. She couldn’t see him, but she could feeeeel him. There was a strange sort of crackle in the air, sparking against her skin. He’s about to try and talk you into spying for him.
Had Solo heard the male?
His expression remained the same: pensive. “If I asked you to find out what kind of spell he casts,” he said, watching her intently, “would you?”
See? Told you!
“No,” she answered honestly, ignoring Dr. E. She couldn’t blame Solo for wanting more information. “He invited evil into his life, and I’m not going to do the same to mine. Why do you want to know about the flares, anyway? To stop him?”
Solo pondered for a moment, then once again waved a hand through the air. “What’s the longest you’ve ever been trapped in the Nolands?”
So. He wanted her to endanger herself, but he didn’t want to tell her why. That, she could blame him for. “Six days,” she said a little snippily. “But guess what? We’re not done with the other topic. I could say yes, I’d try to find out how he does it, because I owe you and I always sometimes try to pay my debts.”
“Always sometimes?” he interrupted.
“Exactly. So, here’s a question for you. Would you prefer to have the info about the solar flares or the key to the cuffs?”
Without any hesitation, he replied, “The key to the cuffs.”
I could have guessed that one, Dr. E muttered.
“Are you willing to give it to me when you find it?” Solo asked with the patient stillness of a predator. “Not just use it on me but give it to me.”
“Of course,” she replied, and he blinked in bafflement. “If my father lets me out of the cage, I’ve already decided to increase my efforts and do whatever’s necessary to unearth its whereabouts.”
“Vow it,” he rushed out. “Vow to free me, to remove the cuffs when you find the key, and place that key into my sole custody.”
Him and his vows. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. But she noticed he’d said “when” and not “if.” Either he had more confidence in her than she did, or he simply refused to admit defeat in anything.
Don’t do it, Dr. E pleaded.
“So vowed,” she said, wanting to smirk. She kind of liked disobeying Dr. E.
He cursed at her.
Solo watched her intently, relief and suspicion in his eyes.
“What?” she asked.
“Did anything strange happen to you?”
“No. Why?”
“Never mind.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Tell me something. Was your newest beating because of me?”
“No,” she said, and that was the truth. Matas had hit her because she’d embarrassed him with her continued refusal of his romantic pursuit, choosing an “animal” over him.
You should have blamed Solo. There was now a pout in Dr. E’s voice. He would have felt guilty and would have done anything you asked.
“Will you just shut up already,” she snapped. “I’m sick of you.” She didn’t want anyone feeling guilty on her behalf. Guilt was a terrible thing, a consuming thing, and Solo had enough to worry about.
The crackle in the air instantly vanished.
Solo scooted away from her. “I will do what you wish.”
“Not you,” she said, sitting up to reach for him. She managed to wrap her fingers around his wrist. A wrist so big her fingers weren’t even close to touching. He was strong, amazingly so, and that should have scared her, would have scared her, until she’d woken up and discovered everything he’d done for her. “You are—” Dizziness had her swaying, moaning.
Solo returned in an instant, pulling from her grip to cradle the back of her head. He eased her down, and she battled an urge to snuggle into the warmth of his body, to know she was safe and protected for once in her life and maybe even . . . cherished.
He didn’t cherish her, though, did he. He liked kissing her, she was sure, and had wanted more, but sex had never been and would never be proof of someone’s affection.
“You sat up too quickly, after lying down too long.”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” she assured him. “Before, I mean.”
“Then to whom were you talking?” He paused to shake his head, perhaps recalling the other time they’d had this conversation, when the question had been directed at him. “And why were you beaten? You never told me.”