Chapter 35
“Oh thank God.” The relief made Rory’s head spin. He caught her headlong run into his embrace, letting his phone fall to the jungle floor. “I was feeling like an idiot for a minute there.”
“Well, you are an idiot.” She peppered his jaw and cheeks with kisses. “Who else would spend so much time looking for a lost crow? Besides me, I mean.”
“A man in love?” Her kisses felt so good on his face, and her body was life itself in his arms.
“I didn’t know where you were or if I’d ever see you again,” she whispered.
“I had to lay low for a while, thanks to that damn crystal. I knew too much. Lincoln warned me that he couldn’t guarantee my safety if I left the fold.”
She drew back, eyes wide. “Are you still in danger?”
“No. I don’t think so. They’ve all got bigger fish to fry. I wouldn’t be here if I thought I might bring trouble your way again. That’s one reason I stayed away until now.”
Although he didn’t state the other reason, she seemed to understand. “Another being me potentially becoming a marchioness. Don’t worry, that didn’t happen. Unless being the sister-in-law of a marquess counts?”
It took him a moment to work that out. “Your brother married Duncan?”
“Yes, but he didn’t get a title, apparently it doesn’t work that way.
Duncan is now the Marquess of Aberdeen and Jamie is just a lucky rich dude who’s blissfully happy and married to him.
They’re already working with a surrogate to start a family.
My parents are ridiculously happy about the whole thing, so for once I don’t feel a single speck of guilt. ”
“Congratulations to the happy couple. So that means no new hunting reserves or fossil fuel exploration?”
“None that I have to feel guilty about. I’m completely free.” Her eyes shone a bright sparkling blue. “I’m free to commit to the things I care about the most. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt that before.”
He could see it in her face, a kind of maturity, or a new sense of purpose.
“I’m very happy for you. Selfishly, I hope there’s some room in there for a currently unemployed pilot.
It won’t be for long, by the way. I have a job that starts soon.
I’ll be flying search and rescue with the Hawaii Fire Department. I told them I had to wait until—”
She stopped him with an excited squeal. “You’re moving to Hawaii?”
“Yes ma’am. Turns out I kind of like it here.” He grinned at her. “The scenery is incredible when you’re not crashing into it.”
She gave a mock-pout. “Please don’t talk about crashing.”
“Why not? It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Without that crash, what are the chances I would ever have met you? One in a billion?”
That made her laugh. He loved her laugh, that deep chuckle that could have come from the belly of a jolly old man. “About the same chances of you finding Hector after all this time?”
“You know, I actually think Hector found me.” He set her down so he could pick up his phone off the ground.
After scrolling for the right photo, he showed her his phone.
In the shot, the curious crow was peering down toward the camera from the curved metal wing of the plane.
“Doesn’t it look like he’s trying to say something? ”
She studied the photo, looking overcome by the momentous sight of her lost crow. “He does. I can translate for you. Where’s my mate?”
“Funny. That’s exactly what I was asking myself at that moment.”
Laughing, she rested her head on his shoulder. Worries for her health bubbled through his mind. The idea that his actions had put her in danger and sent her to the hospital…well, it was going to take him a long time to get over that.
“How are you feeling, my love? Are you recovered from what happened in Kona?”
“Mostly. The doctors said I have no lasting damage, but they couldn’t ever figure out why I was in that weird coma. I’m still getting my strength back. I had to take a couple breaks on my way here. But I feel great.” She intertwined her hand with his. “Especially now.”
“Good. Because I’d never forgive myself if—”
“Don’t think that way. I’m fine. I promise.”
And he promised himself he’d make sure she stayed that way. From this point forward, he’d be her protector, her champion, her companion, her lover. He’d been lucky enough to find her, and he wasn’t going to take any chances with that miraculous accident of fate.
A happy silence fell between them, filled with the twittering chatter of jungle birds. And then, cutting through those sounds, from somewhere high in the treetops, came the same screeching warble that Rory had recorded.
“He’s here! He’s close!” Mathilda danced in a happy little circle. As she did so, her loose top shifted and he noticed something sparkling at the end of a chain around her neck. Something large. And blue-ish.
“Wait…” He bolted to his feet. “Is that what I think it is?”
She touched the object under her shirt. Just in case, he yanked off his own shirt and wrapped it around her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked with a gasp.
“Is that the crystal?”
“You mean, the one you dumped on me? As a matter of fact, yes. I had it wire-wrapped so I could wear it. I was afraid of losing it.”
“You’ve had it this entire time?”
“Actually, no. I found it when I checked out of the hospital. They had a plastic bag with my clothes and so forth that I was wearing when I arrived. It was just…in the bag.”
He stared at her in confusion. “So where was it when we were searching that resort?”
The answer hit them both at the same moment, and they both exclaimed, “The menehune!” Then burst out laughing.
“For the record, I know all about the menehune now,” he told her. “I did my research.”
“All about them? So, what’s your opinion? Do you think they’re real?”
Could there still exist a humanoid species, much, much smaller than humans, living in the woods and jungles and hidden pockets of the Hawaiian Islands?
It seemed unlikely to him. But anyone who had experienced the magic and mystery of the jungle knew that not everything was in the realm of the known. So much was still to be explored.
“I couldn’t possibly say,” he told her. “But if they are real, clearly they wanted you to have that crystal.”
“Did they?” Her fingers traced the shape of the crystal. “I almost donated it to a thrift store, but it was…I don’t know, it made me think of you, and how we met, and all those crazy shenanigans. So I held on to it. Now that you’re here, you can have it back.”
She undid the clasp at the back of her neck, but he stopped her there. “Let me do it. It’s best not to expose it to the sun.”
Using his shirt to shield the crystal, he gingerly retrieved it.
“Is that what happened in Kona?” Mathilda’s eyes went wide. “The crystal knocked me out?”
“It did that and a lot more. It caused that power outage, and I believe it caused our plane crash and also the helicopter crash when they kidnapped Lincoln. Both times, the crystal was onboard.” With his free hand, he adjusted her top, letting his fingers glide across the tender skin along her collarbone. It felt so good to touch her again.
“That’s crazy. And I’ve had it around my neck this whole time?” She put a hand to her chest. “Do you think I’m some kind of mutant now?”
“I’ll have to do a complete and thorough examination to rule it out.” He winked at her.
“Naked?”
“Naturally.”
She slid her hand across his bare chest. A giddy electricity vibrated between them, and it had nothing to do with the crystal tucked into the shirt in his hand.
“But first I want to know everything there is to know about that thing,” she said sternly.
He hesitated. She deserved that much after what she’d been through. But would that put her in danger?
“I want to tell you everything,” he said soberly, “but what if knowing more puts you in danger? People are looking for this.”
“Like Lincoln?”
“People scarier than him. I don’t know who’s involved, Lincoln wouldn’t tell me. But I’ve put something in motion that I hope will lead to the truth coming out. My goal is for some real good to come from that, and I mean, planet-saving, life-changing good that will benefit everyone.”
Her gaze clung to his, and he saw that she believed what he was saying with all her heart. She believed in him. The way that felt…nothing could beat that.
“We’re in this together,” she said firmly, taking his hands in hers, the crystal now between them. “I want to be with you, and you want to be with me, right?”
“More than anything.”
“Then it’s better if I know what I’m dealing with.”
Her eyes blazed with that intelligence and determination that had drawn him from the beginning. A smile tugged at his lips. “You really are one in a billion.”
“Come here, you.” That husky voice…her face tilted for a kiss…he forgot everything and leaned in…
And loosened his grip on the shirt in his fist. He felt the crystal slip out of its protective nest in his hand. As it fell toward the jungle floor, it flashed in the sunlight, just for a moment. The sight was so dazzling that he couldn’t move, stunned by the object’s beauty.
A quick flap of wings made him startle. A Myna bird swooped toward them. Before the crystal could even hit the ground, the bird plucked the chain into its beak and kept flying.
A moment later, the bird and the crystal disappeared into the jungle.
Mathilda and Rory looked at each other in astonishment. It had happened so quickly. He looked at the shirt still clutched in his hand, needing to confirm that, indeed, a bird had just made off with an object worth untold billions.
Yup. It was gone.
“What now?” she asked in a hushed voice. “Is the crystal going to cause trouble out here?”
“I have no idea. I guess it depends on what that bird does with it. But we’re far away from any grid, so this jungle probably isn’t a bad place for it.”
Much better than around Mathilda’s neck. Actually, he was hugely relieved that he—they—didn’t have custody of the crystal anymore. The bad guys would have to tromp through the jungle if they wanted to find it.
He put their chances at much less than one in a billion.
As for him and Mathilda, they could focus on the important stuff.
He grinned at her and tossed his shirt aside.
The sun warmed his bare back and turned Mathilda’s eyes to blue fire.
He’d never felt happier in his life. “Can we get back to that kiss that was about to happen? Or will that make Hector jealous?”
“Hector needs to worry about his own love life.” She pressed her body against his and they plunged into a kiss that seemed to stop time.
After all, it had only been a matter of months since he’d crash-landed right on this very spot. And now…well, he was flying again, because he had Mathilda in his arms and the wind under his wings.
Thank you so much for reading!