Chapter Five

Viviana was weighed down by the loss of her friend, but even through the foggy haze of grief, she could tel Neal was hiding something from her. “It’s magic, isn’t it? Like the disks?”

Neal nodded, his dark eyes glittering with hope.

“What does it do?”

“The luceria is two parts of a whole. We each wear one. It wil connect us and al ow you to tap into the stores of power inside me. You can use that power to fuel your ability, which wil amplify it.”

“You think that if I wear that necklace, I’l be able to sense where the second disk went?”

“I do.”

That artifact had caused enough pain and suffering. She needed to find it and put it where no one could ever get hurt again.

She held out her hand. “Give me the necklace.”

“That’s not the way it works. You have to take it off me.”

Viviana’s hand shook as she reached for the luminescent band. The swirling display of earth tones intensified the closer her hand got. Of al the Sentinel artifacts she’d seen over the years, this one was the most intriguing. It felt . . . alive. She could almost feel some kind of intel igence working within it.

She slid one finger under the band, enjoying the supple warmth and the slippery texture. A flowing plume of bronze spiraled out from her finger and it seemed to heat. It was going to feel so nice against her skin and look so pretty around her neck.

The band broke open and slipped down beneath Neal’s shirt. He pul ed it out and took the loose ends in his blunt fingertips. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Viviana nodded. She wanted to know what it felt like to wear something so beautiful and magical, even if it was only for a little while.

Neal reached around her neck and she heard a subtle click as the ends locked shut.

He leaned back, his eyes fixed on the band. His voice was a reverent whisper. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment. I don’t want to mess it up or scare you.”

“Why would you scare me?”

“I’m going to cut myself a little now and offer you my promise.”

Confusion swept over her as she watched him strip off his shirt. “Cut yourself? Why?”

“It’s the only way to finish the process of connecting us.” He drew his sword, making it appear.

He sliced a shal ow cut over his heart with the edge of the blade. “My life for yours,” he said, then gathered a drop of blood on his fingertip and pressed it against the necklace. “You have to give me a promise of your own now to complete the process.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I know. I’m rushing you. I didn’t want to, but I can’t seem to stop myself,” he said. “Just fol ow your instincts.”

A promise? She had no idea what kind of promise he wanted, but she could sense the magic of what they were doing surrounding her. With the snow fal ing outside, there was a hushed kind of reverence in his actions, the quality of an ancient ceremony. She real y didn’t want to ruin that. “I promise to help you find the artifact and put it somewhere safe so that no one else can get hurt.”

She saw disappointment flash across Neal’s face a second before the band around her neck shrank until it fit close to her skin. Her vision wavered until the confines of the truck disappeared and she was suddenly somewhere else. Overlooking a val ey. It was dark—the kind of dark one found only wel outside the light pol ution of cities. There was an old log home nestled below. It was a tiny, one-room structure with smoke bil owing up from its chimney. There were no security lights, no propane tanks, no vehicles. It appeared to be a scene from sometime long ago, though she couldn’t imagine how that was possible.

A few yards away, a smal barn sat huddled against the roaring wind. The prairie grass was brown, the trees bare. She could smel spring on the wind, but it had yet to take hold of the land.

A man on horseback was on the opposite hil side, outlined against the starry night sky. The sword in his hand reflected moonlight as he sat there, stil and silent. The horse beneath him quivered, as if sensing danger. She had no idea what he was doing out here in the cold when there was a safe, comfy cabin not far away.

She opened her mouth to shout at him to get inside, but nothing came out. Wherever she was, she had no body. She was simply a presence hovering in the night sky.

The man turned his head and the moonlight fel over his features.

Neal. The man standing in what looked like a scene from the long-dead past was the same man sitting next to her in the truck.

Viviana struggled to make sense of that, but like a dream, there was no logic to be found.

From the hil top to her right, she saw several low shapes slink forward. An eerie howl split the air, making the wind seem quiet in comparison. The horse stomped nervously for a moment before Neal spurred it forward.

The shapes rose up, solidifying into the form of those things that had attacked her earlier tonight. Neal charged them. The first sgath leaped into the air, lunging for Neal’s throat. Instead, it was his blade that hit, and the monster flew past him in two spinning pieces.

Two more of the sgath attacked, and Neal cut down each one with the same competent efficiency. Never once did he do anything showy. Every movement was smooth and easy, with no wasted effort. The lethality of his grace stunned Viviana even after she’d seen it before.

Neal wiped his blade clean on the dead grass, remounted his horse, and rode away.

Below in the val ey, the door to the cabin opened. An old, bent woman stood there for a moment, staring in confusion into the darkness. She never saw Neal or the threat he’d eliminated.

Viviana’s vision wavered again, as another battle was shown to her. Then another, and another.

In each one, she saw signs of different eras, different times and places—none of which Neal was old enough to have lived in, and yet there he was. He fought off dark, terrifying monsters for people who didn’t even realize he existed. He never once asked for thanks or praise for his deeds; he simply left when the job was done.

When the interior of the truck final y came back into focus, Viviana was exhausted. She felt like she’d been gone for years and was just now coming back home.

Neal was staring at her with the oddest look on his face. It was part sympathy and part pride, and she wondered if he was upset by what she’d seen.

“What was that?” she asked.

“The luceria shows us pieces of each other—things it thinks we need to know to help us grow closer and speed up the bonding process.”

“What bonding process? You never said anything about that.”

“It’s how we connect. It’s how you reach my power. The luceria makes that connection possible, but the amount of power that can flow between us is directly related to how much we trust each other.”

“And those visions of you fighting monsters were supposed to make me trust you?”

“Did it work?”

In an odd way, it did, but no more so than seeing him fight for her life earlier tonight. It was something else that pul ed her in—the part where he seemed to have visited other times. “I thought I saw you a long, long time ago.”

“You did.”

“How? Does your magic al ow you to travel through time?”

“No. I’ve lived a long time.” He smiled, and it made her insides quiver in response. “Just like those artifacts you like to col ect.”

“How long?”

“I’ve lost count. Four hundred fifty-something years now, I guess.”

“You guess?”

He shrugged, drawing her attention to his bare shoulder. Even that smal movement caused delicious muscles to ripple beneath his skin. “It stops mattering after a while, though I may start counting again if things with us go the way I hope.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you don’t have to be alone anymore. You don’t have to feel like you don’t fit in. You’re one of us now.”

Viviana’s insides iced over with worry. “What did you see?”

“You. Alone. Al your life. You’ve always set yourself apart from other people because you knew you weren’t like them.”

Humiliation stiffened her spine. “You had no right prying into my past like that.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. That’s the way it works. You got to do the same with me.”

“I don’t like it.”

He took her hand and flattened it against his bare chest. His skin was hot and tight over hard muscles. Streaming sparks flowed into her, making her dizzy.

“You like that,” he said with complete confidence. “And I like not hurting anymore. Thank you.”

“Don’t get used to it. If this luceria lets you pry into my private life, it’s coming off.”

“Not until we find the gadget. You promised. Besides, by then I hope to change your mind.”

“About what?”

“Taking it off.” He leaned forward, a hot smile on his lips. “If I have my way, you’l never take it off again.”

Shock rattled through her and she sat silent for a moment, trying to make sense of his words. “I don’t understand.”

“I know. That’s my fault, but I’l spel it out for you. You saved my life by putting on my luceria.

Before I met you, I was dying. The power inside me was kil ing me slowly. And now I’m fine. I’ve also seen inside you. I’ve seen how gentle and caring you are, how driven you can be. You are everything I’ve ever hoped for in a partner, and if I get half a chance, I’m not going to let you go.

Ever.”

“You need to stop right there. I don’t even know you and you’re talking about us being together?”

“In ways you have probably never imagined.”

Her face heated, as did the rest of her. “I only said I’d help you find the artifact.”

“I know. I’m counting on my powers of persuasion to change your mind.”

She opened her mouth to ask him what kind of powers when a wave of something hot and delicious slid into her skin, emanating from the luceria. It floated down her body, making her grow languid and needy as it passed.

Neal speared his fingers through her hair and lowered his mouth to hers. He didn’t touch her, but he was close enough that she could feel energy sparking between them.

“I’m playing dirty,” he told her, “but I need you too much to let it stop me. We’re meant to be together. The luceria knows it. I know it. So wil you.”

He kissed her then, and she didn’t even think to try to stop him. His mouth felt too good on hers.

Too right. Her whole body quivered in excitement at his touch, and wherever his bare skin touched hers, heady streams of power raced into her, making her feel more whole and alive than she ever had before.

In this moment, she was swept away, ready and eager to go along with whatever insane plan he had. Let him think they were destined to be together. What did she care? As long as he kept had. Let him think they were destined to be together. What did she care? As long as he kept kissing her, he could be as crazy as he liked.

A deep howl cut through the cold December air.

Neal stiffened and pul ed back with a caustic curse. “Fuck. My blood. They can smel it.”

He moved to his side of the truck, leaving Viviana feeling cold and alone. She didn’t like it. She wanted back that feeling he gave her—that sense of belonging, of being needed. It took every ounce of her wil power to stay put rather than slide over the seat so she could cling to him.

She was not a needy woman. She did not cling.

He slammed the truck in gear and pul ed back out onto the snowy road. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.

You’re so damn sexy, you go to my head. I should have known better than to stay put after cutting myself.”

Viviana cleared her throat and fastened her seat belt to give her head time to clear. “I’m not sexy. I never have been. I’m tidy. Neat.”

He shot her a grin ful of heated promise. “You won’t be when I get done with you.”

“I am not going to have sex with you.”

“No?” He didn’t sound convinced. Or concerned.

“No. I don’t know you.”

“You wil . Count on it.”