Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

Chalisa ate ravenouslyand smiled at all the taunting and teasing that happened at dinner. Jagger and Aiden finally seemed to be able to joke with each other, though the verbal jabs were almost as sharp as their physical hits had been earlier today. Stuart, Princess Addie and Leah, Prince Darian, and her own sister all eased any tension and made the joking and teasing fun and light.

As the meal ended, her nerves started again. What was the next challenge? Could she and Aiden pull ahead in points? He'd been so great about her dismal contribution today. Not that anyone had expected her to beat Navy SEALs, but Aiden had triumphed in everything but the joust with Jagger. He couldn't win by himself, though.

She had a sudden, uncomfortable jolt. Was that just another reason he'd walk away from her? He won by himself in every aspect of his life. He didn't need a partner slowing him down.

Mercedes stood by the table and held up her hands. The conversation quieted. "For the final part of this Chance for Charity episode, ‘Impossible Crusade'..." She smiled and everyone cheered. "Our teams will compete as Prince Samson and the Dissenters would. Would you share, please?" She gestured to Prince Samson. He and Princess Constance had come into town today for the events.

"Of course." Samson stood. He was a well-built man, almost as big as Kingston, with a wild edge to him that Constance had somewhat smoothed out. He still kept his hair long and tied back with a leather thong, wore clean but homespun clothes, a thicker beard than most of the royals, and a dangerous-looking shark-tooth necklace hung between his pectoral muscles.

"Tonight, you will be driven into the mountains near our home." He smiled down at his wife. "You will be given a knife, an ax, a lighter, a water sleeve, and a rifle. You can build a shelter or sleep in the open; it's up to you."

Chalisa's stomach tumbled. She'd never even camped, let alone slept in a forest. Aiden squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly at her. Her heart calmed a few beats.

"At first light, you can begin your quest. You'll start by finding and killing a wild turkey. You get to clean it, cook it, and eat it for your breakfast. Delicious."

"He's lying," Prince Darian called out. "They're gamey and tough."

Samson smiled and shrugged. "You can pick some berries if you need something tender to eat. The streams in the area are clean for your water supply."

Aiden, Jagger, and Hays all nodded to the prince.

"As soon as you eat your fill of the delicious turkey,"—he shot Prince Darian a look and they both grinned—"and the sun crests the mountains, it's a foot race to get back to the castle. Over ten miles through the forest, mostly downhill, and the river will guide you and give you a clearer path through the vegetation. Once you get closer to the castle, the path is well worn. Easy."

Easy? Chalisa liked to walk on the beach. She worked hard and was on her feet most of the day in the emergency department or clinics, but she wasn't a distance runner. She would slow Aiden down and make them lose.

"You're going to do great," Aiden whispered in her ear. "Trust me."

She blinked up at him. She did trust him. "Thank you."

He nodded and squeezed her hand again.

"All right." Mercedes clapped her hands together. "The points total are sixty-one for our SEALs and fifty-eight for Chalisa and Aiden. Whichever team completes the tasks and reaches the castle first will receive ten points. Either team could win." She smiled brightly. "Let's get to the mountain."

Chalisa said goodbye to her family, hugging them all tight. She hugged most of the royals as well, appreciating the dad hug that Duke Zolten, Reagan's father-in-law, gave her. She missed her dad.

She and Aiden loaded up with Kingston and Stuart in a Humvee. Shawn and Mercedes followed with Jagger and Hays.

People waved to them from the castle courtyard and the streets as they drove through. They headed out through the fields, the beach and ocean on their right-hand side. The men started talking about guns. Chalisa didn't have anything to contribute, so she watched the scenery and listened to Aiden's voice.

He was an expert in a very different world than hers. She healed, and he inflicted wounds. He did it for a noble cause, and the people he hurt needed to be killed or imprisoned. She knew that. But were their worlds and paths too different?

Then a pang struck her in her gut. She'd tried to push it away, but he'd blatantly and repeatedly told her he'd made an oath and promise to never fall in love, never marry. She was being short-sighted to think their paths could ever coincide.

They headed up the mountains, and Kingston explained that this route was much longer than the route the two of them would walk or run back to the castle. There wasn't a direct road for vehicles to the drop-off location, only the path along the river.

Chalisa must've drifted off. Aiden touched her arm, and she noticed the vehicle was stopped and he stood next to her open door with a soft smile. "I hope you can still sleep tonight in our shelter," he said.

"I hope so too." She was exhausted. The stress of competing, hoping to win the money, and most of all trying to figure out how to keep Aiden by her side was overwhelming.

Aiden helped her out of the vehicle, and she appreciated leaning into him. She had to wake up and help him build a shelter. Kingston handed over a long, skinny bag that must have had all the supplies they'd mentioned. He shook Aiden's hand and gave her a side hug. Stuart did the same.

"See you tomorrow," Kingston said.

"Bright and early," Aiden returned.

Stuart laughed, and they both climbed into the Humvee and set off. The sun was setting. It was probably mid-seventies right now, but it would cool off with the sun gone and up in the mountains like they were.

Aiden shifted the bag to his left hand and clasped her left hand with his right. He directed her toward the thick forest. "Kingston said Shawn's coordinates were a little different than ours. A little farther away from the castle and from where the wild turkeys are seen the most." He grinned and winked at her.

Maybe it was an unfair advantage but truly the SEALs had all the advantage. A ten-mile run? Aiden could win every day of the week but not with her slowing him down. What could he do? Carry her?

They walked through some trees and into a small clearing. Even with the sun not completely gone, it was darker in the forest. Aiden released her hand, set the bag down, and pulled out the axe. He walked to a giant taro tree. Chalisa knew the Dissenters and Zealots ate a lot of taro. Aiden chopped down a huge pile of the massive leaves. Some of them were almost as long as he was.

Chalisa hurried to help him carry the pile to the middle of the clearing. The river wasn't too far away, and its sound was soothing. He sorted the huge leaves and laid a layer on the ground and then smiled at her. "This is our bed tonight, love. Quick, easy, and we'll stay warm. Luckily, there's no rain in the forecast."

"Luckily." She looked over their bed. "It's better than the ground."

"For certain. Now, do you need to use the bathroom or anything before I cover us with the largest leaves?"

"No." Thank heavens she didn't, but she would before they got back to the castle tomorrow. That would be awkward.

"Okay. Lie down, love."

He took her hand, and she sat on the ‘bed' and took off her shoes. She lay down but sat up as he held a six-foot long leaf over her.

"I need to pray," she said.

"Oh. Of course." His gaze was neutral. She didn't think he was a believer, but he'd never seemed antagonistic either. There was so much she didn't know about him.

She rolled over to her knees and said a prayer of gratitude for safety and this day, for Aiden, for her family, she asked for their protection tonight and if possible could they win the million dollars. Even heavier on her mind, if possible could a miracle happen and Aiden could not have to fulfill some promise that would keep them apart the rest of their lives. It was probably wrong to pray against a promise. She said amen and rolled over, stretching out.

Aiden's gaze trailed over her, and he smiled softly. "I need to clarify something."

"What's that?" She stared up at him in the deepening evening shadows.

"There has to be a rule in place."

"Oh?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm going to hold you close tonight to keep you warm."

"So the rule is you can't let me go?" She was teasing, but he was going to let her go, and soon.

"Tonight I can't."

The clarification stung, but he'd been honest with her about their lack of a future. She'd been the one to insist she wanted this time with him. She still wanted the time, but she selfishly wanted to change his life path.

"But I also can't kiss you."

"Oh." She lifted her eyebrows. "I'm too tempting?"

"You have no idea." His gaze traveled over her. "Are we agreed?"

"I suppose so. But tomorrow you're going to have to kiss me every chance you get to make up for your lack tonight." Chalisa was never bold, except in an emergency room where she knew her role and executed it. With Aiden, she was bold, brave, and tempting to him.

He chuckled. "Great plan."

Tomorrow was their last day together. Or did they have Sunday? Her family wouldn't want her to leave. She hadn't had much time with them this week, but she had work on Monday. If she won the money, she'd have a lot of new work with her centers.

Aiden laid a few of the huge leaves over her. He placed the bag next to where he'd lay and then stretched out next to her and tugged the remaining leaves to his side. "Lay on my shoulder," he said softly.

Chalisa happily complied. He tucked her close to his side with her head nestled on his shoulder. One of her hands was trapped between them, and she slid her other hand across his taut waist.

He let out a quick breath and murmured, "We definitely cannot kiss in this position."

What he intoned made her so warm she wouldn't need any covering, only Aiden close.

Aiden pulled the rest of the huge leaves over them, and they were cocooned together. The ground was hard underneath her side and leg, but Aiden's muscular form, though far from soft, felt comfortable, warm, and exhilarating. She didn't care if she didn't sleep. She could catalog these feelings all night, store up the memories of him.

He wrapped both arms around her and cradled her against him. They were so close her pulse sped up even more. All she wanted was one sweet goodnight kiss.

"You know I hate to break rules," she said.

"Don't even try it."

"Just one goodnight kiss?"

"Chalisa." He groaned out her name and his hand trailed up into her hair, massaging her scalp and making it tingle. "Most of the time, I think you're an angel straight from heaven, and then every once in a while you become the most sultry temptress on earth."

She laughed at that. Sultry and temptress had never been used to describe her, but he made her feel angelic, sultry, and tempting.

He pressed a heated kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep."

"You just broke your own rule," she protested.

He chuckled, and his fingers trailed down her neck and along her back. She shivered at the incredible sensation. "That is nothing like the kisses I want to give you."

Her body warmed up.

"Please," he murmured. "Don't tempt me. You are pure and angelic. I want you to stay that way."

She didn't know what to say to that. Her virtue was very important to her, and her relationship with the Savior was strengthened by honoring marriage. Would one kiss really taint that?

A few beats passed, and the night sounds deepened around them. Would animals and spiders crawl past and over them? She shivered at that image.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"No. Just thinking if animals or spiders might crawl right over us in the night."

"I'll protect you."

"Thank you." But she doubted he'd stay up all night swatting spiders. She wouldn't want him to. When some more silence passed, she thought of him being respectful of her prayer but not kneeling himself. "Do you believe in God?"

"Yes." His voice was cautious.

"Do you pray and worship?"

"No." His hand continued to trace across her back, and she waited to see if he'd expound. "Ike is a believer, and he always told me that my mom was a Christian as well, but for me and my dad … I don't doubt there is a God in heaven, but I don't think he concerns himself with me and I don't need any help. I make my own destiny."

"What if something is too big for you to handle on your own?"

"I haven't come up against anything so far." His voice was full of confidence but also pride that would keep them apart.

Chalisa was still pressed close to him, but she felt far away. She wanted to pray that his dad or heaven could give him a sign that Aiden's oath was fulfilled and he could love and marry her, have a family. She'd support him in his security specialist path, but she didn't want him to walk it alone and she didn't want him to walk away from her. If he wouldn't even humble himself to ask or believe, she had no hope of things ever changing between them.

Instead of expressing any of that, she said, "I guess I'm a wimp. I wouldn't want to go through one day without my Savior."

"You are the furthest thing from a wimp." He gently kissed her forehead again. "I love your light. It shines brightly from you and is part of you. I'm glad you have the Savior with you."

He didn't say it, but she felt like he intoned … she'd need heavenly strength to survive once he left her again. This week of growing closer and knowing without a doubt he was the only man she'd ever love would make it even more devastating when he walked away. She'd be more broken than the shattered wooden lance.

She shivered and clung tighter to him, as if she could prevent the future separation from coming.