Dark Stranger Immortal (The Children of the Gods #3)(43)

“So what now? Did you really leave the Brotherhood just for me, or did something change?”

Dalhu didn’t respond right away. Staring at the dark, winding road ahead, he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “A lot has changed. I’m almost eight hundred years old, Amanda. I got tired of the fighting and the killing…

and I learned. This new era of easily accessible information opened my eyes and made me realize that we were being brainwashed and lied to; pretty much about everything. From the moment I figured it out, I began planning an exit strategy and buying this ridiculously expensive jewelry so I would have something to trade for money when the time was right…” He lifted his hand off the steering wheel, showing her his Rolex and his ring. “When I saw you, I knew I’d never have another chance like that. It was time to take the plunge and run. And here we are…” He smiled and patted her knee.

“That’s nice, Dalhu, but what happens when the money runs out? What then?”

“I’ll worry about it when the time comes. There is always a market for my kind of skills. I’ll find something. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

Dalhu squeezed her knee reassuringly.

“I bet you will.” Amanda could just imagine the type of skills he’d been referring to. “I guess you’re not talking about becoming a lumberjack, or a professional wrestler.” She chuckled with a sidelong glance at him.

“If that’s what turns you on, why not? But for some reason, I can’t imagine a woman like you managing on a lumberjack’s pay or coming to cheer me on at a wrestling match…” He gave her outfit an appreciative look-over. “Even I know that what you’re wearing must have cost thousands.”

“Seeing you shirtless and covered in sweat might be worth the slumming…” Amanda just couldn’t help herself. She was used to saying whatever was on her mind, and once the image had formed, she hadn’t stopped to think before blurting it out.

“Happy to oblige, ma’am. I’ll gladly take my shirt off right now.” He chuckled. “If that’s all it takes to turn you on, I’m a lucky, lucky man.”

“Nah, it’s too cold for sweating, and it’s not the same without.” Amanda shrugged, her lips twitching in an effort to suppress the urge to smile.

“I can think of a surefire way you can make me sweat… you can take your shirt off.” Dalhu regarded her with a leering grin.





3 8

D A L H U

Dalhu was enjoying the lighthearted banter they had going on. He’d never experienced that with a woman before, and besides providing a pleasant respite from the shit-scape of his mind, it was turning him on.

Tonight, he hoped she’d let him take care of her the way she had begged him to do before. She might need a little coaxing, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t take much to seduce her. Amanda was forward and lustful, and she’d already admitted that she found him attractive.

Testing, he slowly moved his hand across her knee to caress the inside of her thigh. Her sharp inhale was muffled.

Dalhu smirked. She shouldn’t have bothered to hide her reaction. She forgot that he could smell the spike in her arousal.

Well, what do you know? He had been right. Dalhu smiled and returned his hand to her knee.

Distracted by carnal thoughts, he almost missed the turn onto the dirt road leading up to the secluded cabin. As he slammed on the brakes, the car swerved as he made a sharp turn, skidding on the loose gravel before coming to a full stop.

“Nice driving,” Amanda grated.

He shrugged and got out.

The rusted lock securing the simple metal gate at the bottom of the hill required only minimal manipulation to open, and he relocked it behind them before driving up the heavily wooded mountain trail.

It was a little past midnight when he finally parked the car at the end of the long, private driveway.

The place was perfect, just as he had known it would be from the close-up Google image he had pulled up at the motel. With no other dwellings for miles around and no power lines leading up to it, the cabin was completely off the grid. A solar array and a decent-sized wind turbine provided its power.

And a water well equipped with an electrical pump took care of the water supply.

The chances of anyone being able to track them to this remote, isolated location were slim to none, as were Amanda’s opportunities to run or get help.

Flipping the light switch on, Dalhu was relieved to find that the power was working just fine. He took an appraising look at the cabin’s plain interior. The downstairs was one big room, with a simple L-shaped kitchen and a narrow wooden staircase leading up to an open loft-style bedroom.

Both rooms were sparsely furnished with old, well-worn pieces that were currently covered with a thick layer of dust.

A massive brick fireplace, flanked by windows going all the way up to the gabled ceiling, was the cabin’s one redeeming grace. He liked the simple, homey feel, but he had to admit that it was definitely not up to his woman’s standards.

With a grimace that conveyed her opinion louder than words, Amanda clutched her purse close to her body as if to prevent it from touching the grime. “I’m going to pee and take a bath. You go ahead and start cleaning.

This place is filthy.” Without sparing him a second look, she took the stairs up to the loft and strode into the cabin’s only bathroom, locking the door behind her.