Immortals After Dark 09 - Pleasure of a Dark Prince

another!”
    At that, she leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. “Good.”
    “What?”
Was this an olive branch—from her? Just when he’d thought she couldn’t confuse him more, she put them into completely unfamiliar territory. “I thought you hated me.”
    “I hated the consequences of what we’d done—or at least what I’d thought they were. I took out all my anger and fear on you. I’m sorry.”
    “Ah, bluidy hell, lass.” Never would he have thought an apology from her would be as sweet to hear as her laughter. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry to have lost the cuff. I bollixed that up.”
    She stroked his hair from his forehead. “Things are going to be different, MacRieve. With me. If you want them to be. Once we save the world, that is.”
    He could tell things were
already
different. Garreth had claimed her, yet she could still shoot—and she looked more at peace than he’d ever seen her. “What happened to you while I was out?”
    “I have no more ties to Skathi.
None.
Any talent I possess is my own.”
    “Will you finally confide in me, then?”
    “I… can’t. Not yet. I’m asking you for time.” At his scowl, she said, “Look, I wasn’t ready for two things: sex and sharing secrets. Now, we both know how the first of those turned out. Can’t you accept one out of two for now?”
    He scowled deeper. “Sex or secrets?”
    Lucia jutted her chin. “If that’s how you want to look at it.”
    She’d played the sex card—as in the promise of
more of it
. More of what they’d shared the night before. And o’ course, he’d do just about anything for that. “You keep your secrets
for now
. As for the other, I
have
been getting my way with you. Tis true. And I’ll be getting it again as soon as I’m able.”

FORTY-TWO

    “So we’re no’ to wake a big evil,” MacRieve said as they gradually made their way back to the necropolis. Though she could tell he was still in a great deal of pain, he’d insisted that they gear up and set out by noon.
    On the way down, she’d filled him in on everything Nïx had said and they’d speculated on everything she
hadn’t
said. For instance, though the soothsayer had never actually
confirmed
the panteón was the tomb in question, they’d still grown convinced that the dieumort was there. It had to be in the tomb Damiãno had been talking about—the one that had hieroglyphs of gold.
    “Who do you think Damiãno worked for?” Lucia asked. “If he was the guardian of this place, then who hired him?”
    “Doona know. Maybe he’s a descendant of the people who lived here.”
    “Do you really think he hacked up those passengers?” She kept recalling the look on his face when MacRieve had accused him. Had there been a brief flicker of surprise?
    “If no’ him, then who? He wanted to prevent anyonefrom getting close to this place, and the
Barão
was right behind us.”
    “That’s true,” she said, seeing MacRieve’s reasoning. So why was she unconvinced…?
    Just as they reached the central expanse and started on the cobblestone walk, a new text message arrived.
    RegRad: BTW, that “darkness” Skathi went on about w/ U = UR being a Valkyrie, DUMBASS!
    “Regin is
texting
you?” MacRieve shook his head. “Now?”
    “She doesn’t know this is a… momentous time.”
    He sputtered, “Aye, but why’re you texting her back?”
    “Have to. This has been a long time coming.” Lucia replied:
I’m about 2 go play Tomb Raider… but it’s REAL. Bet U wish U were here. HOOKER!
    She finished with a satisfied grin—that lasted until Regin responded.
RegRad: Why’re U being so mean? I wanna play TR, too.
    Lucia sighed, deciding then to make all this up to her sister. When she returned to New Orleans, she’d buy Regin something nice. Maybe a gaming chair, or a new sword.
    MacRieve said, “My brother told me that to win you, I’d have to… deal with Regin.”
    Win me?
Lucia had thought it impossible for so long that she was taken aback now. He
could
win her. But Lachlain was right—Regin was a part of her life and always would be. “Well, she and I had planned to live out our immortality in adjacent mansions on some seashore.Since we were kids. But I’m sure anyone would think she’s a fine neighbor.”
    “Neighbor, then?” He
almost
stifled his grimace.
    Yes, there was bad blood between him and her sister. But Lucia now knew that MacRieve could be remarkably forgiving….
    Once they reached the tomb,