Chapter Twenty-Five

The scene was unreal.

Toni stood with her toes squishing in the sand and took it all in, feeling like she had no idea where she was, and not for the first time since her arrival in ??ran?. A tropical jungle and water cliffs in the middle of a cave half a mile beneath the earth's surface? Come on. How much more was she expected to take, really?

A beautiful white sand beach spread out before her, complete with palm trees, ferns, tropical plants, and moss covering a panoramic out-cropping of the cave wall. This lush greenery, all fake, of course, provided the backdrop for a spectacular array of waterfalls, fountains, and slides splashing cheerfully into pools of various shapes and sizes. Off to the right, several mini geysers spurted periodically, much to the delight of a group of squealing children. The whole scene could've been photo-shopped right off of a travel agency poster for the perfect Rio de Janeiro vacation, including the gorgeous, half-naked people frolicking about. Although the display of dragon tattoos among the blondes also gave it a new wave, live art exhibition feel.

Toni still couldn't quite get used to how incredible those tattoos were. The dragon adorned the entire span of the back, shimmering green scales on the body and wings, red scales on the belly, claws, and mouth. The head arched over the left scapula, the wings extended out over the right, the tail curved down to the lower back, and the feet extended out to the left of the spine. The dragon had a fierce look to it, with its claws and teeth bared, but also elegance, the creature giving the impression of graceful flight.

"Amazing, huh?" Kasson popped up at her side, having just finished spreading their picnic blanket out on the sand. Shirtless, he was dressed in a pair of Reef flip-flops and a Billabong bathing suit. The outfit, along with the cowlick in his light brown hair, turned him into the epitome of the California surfer dude. Even his skin tone was surprisingly honey-colored, the result of being a Dragon rather than a Pure-bred, from what she understood.

"Maggie designed the Water Cliffs," he went on. "You know, the curly-haired one? She's the horticulturist."

"Yes, I know Maggie."

"And her husband, Luken, built it for her… for the community. That's another one of the cool things about living here, Toni. When you put your skills to use, everyone really appreciates everything you do. Hey, look" – Kasson pointed toward the water – "there are the Costaches."

Toni turned. The whole family was by one of the kiddie pools. Beth was talking to a four-year-old girl, who was laughing and splashing in the water, while Arc, wearing green Hawaiian print trunks that perfectly matched the dragon on his back, was encouraging their two-year-old son to stick his toes in.

"See Beth's bathing suit?" Kasson's voice was suddenly right next to Toni's ear.

Uh, oh. She knew where this was going. Kasson had been so disappointed when she'd shown up for their lunch date at the Water Cliffs in nothing more exciting than a utilitarian one-piece Speedo and a sarong. Beth, on the other hand, was wearing a bikini of the kind Daisy Duke might've worn: faux jeans hot pants on the bottom and red-and-white checked mini halter on the top. The suit itself was sexy, but the body wearing it was what really made it hot.

"She might have another one of those in her shop," Kasson murmured.

Toni cut a sideways glance at him. "I wouldn't look as good in it as she does."

"Ho," Kasson enthused, dropping his gaze to her boobs, "yeah, you would."

She poked a finger under his chin to lift his attention back to her face. "I'm wearing the mud now, Kasson. You're supposed to be able to behave yourself."

His smile was boyishly charming, though the heated glitter in his gaze cancelled any illusion of immaturity. "That doesn't change the fact that I'm young and horny."

She exhaled a small laugh. "Direct and to the point. Commendable."

"Ah, well, then I should also tell you that I'm at least ten years younger than Dev. I have way more staying power, for sure." Kasson bobbed his eyebrows at her. "That's a good quality to have in a mate, right?"

"Okay, now you're just being rude." It was an effort to smile. The last thing she wanted to think about was a potential mate. Her heart was still tangled up over one man in particular…the one who'd snubbed her.

He was posted to one side of the Water Cliffs. Dressed in his black warrior gear and armed with the typical array of knives, Jacken was standing in parade rest, with his hands locked behind his back and his legs set in a wide stance, his head swiveling on his thick neck as he continuously scanned the vicinity. He looked like a boulder falling on him would merely bounce off. Up close, she knew that all of those hard muscles gave off more warmth than a cozy eiderdown quilt.

A rush of heat swamped her belly, followed by a stab of pain. Not in a million years would she have thought she'd end up wanting one of the men here, especially not Hard Face. Had she learned nothing from her long run of bad date choices? Evidently not, because here she was falling for the one man in ??ran? who wasn't stumbling around on three legs after her. Or couldn't have her because of some foolish vow of –

Pop, pop, pop.

She startled at the strange noise. "What was –?"

"Get down!" Kasson tackled her to the ground and pancaked on top of her.

She omphed and cursed. "Jesus, what's going on?"

People started screaming.

Blowing sand out of her face, Toni craned her head up and scoured the Water Cliffs, her breath catching when she spotted an unfamiliar young man high up on one of the rocky overhangs. He was holding a rifle. Shirtless, he was sweating profusely, and –

An icy cold washed through her. Dear God, the guy had a creepy black flame tattoo on his jaw. Up close would he also have a sprayed pattern of dotted scars on his chest?

Her insides quailed. Good God, that was the guy from the murder scene two weeks ago with John Waterson. The dead guy!

Two more men materialized next to the supposedly-dead kid, one with spiky black hair, the other a tattoo-covered shaved head. Both were bare-chested, as sweaty as the kid, and also carrying rifles.

The maniac kid propped his rifle back against his hip and swept the crowd with another hailstorm of bullets like he was Scarface.

Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop ….

Bodies began to jerk and fall. Shouts rose to shrieks as ??ran?'s angelic family outing at the Water Cliffs turned into a panicked mob scene.

Kasson hopped off her body and pulled her to her feet. "Let's get to the mansion!" he yelled, urging her into a run toward –

Pop-pop. Two hits to the back and Kasson plowed face-first into the sand.

Toni screamed and dropped into a crouch next to Kasson, checking his injured back. There wasn't any blood …. The sound of pounding feet brought her head up. The spike-haired man and the bald one were racing at her, directly at her. Holy crap! This time she didn't hesitate as she had with Lorke. She leapt to her feet and raced for the gates of the Water Cliffs, picking up speed as she left the sand behind.

She barreled onto Main Street, running faster than she ever had in her life. Her lungs were soon on fire, the muscles in her legs screaming, but the sound of pursuit kept her feet moving even when she couldn't feel them anymore. Jesus, please, just a few more –

She cried out as something bit into the back of her leg. She tripped, righted herself, then went down hard, scraping her shins as she skidded onto her belly. Bright lights sparkled before her eyes and shards of electricity spiked under her skin. Groaning, she cranked her head around and looked at her leg. A dart was sticking out of her hamstring. Poison? She slumped back onto her face. Oooooh. Something weird was happening. Her body jerked and her brain clunked, like a car popping out of gear, control slipping from the driver.

A man's rough hand landed on her shoulder. And then she was being rolled over ….