glanced at his watch, marking off the time before he could safely return to the motel.
“Do you have an appointment we don’t know about?” Barak broke a breadstick in half and took a healthy bite.
There was no good answer to that question, so Penn asked one of his own. “So what do you think of this whole situation?”
Larem leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. “I think Jora is beautiful and smart. She’s also from our world—not yours.”
“That’s not what I was asking.”
“Yes, it was, and I answered. She has no male relative here to stand for her best interests. If she were my sister, we’d be having a long discussion about how unsuitable you would be for her future happiness.”
Penn closed his eyes and prayed for patience. “Whether or not I’m good for Jora is none of your damned business. We’re not having this discussion just because she makes you feel all brotherly, Larem. She’s not your sister.”
Barak interceded. “That may be true, Penn, but it doesn’t change anything. She’s obviously a nice woman who is in over her head with what’s going on around here. And I’m
not
just talking about the barrier and the earthquakes.”
“Stuff it, both of you,” he snapped. “Larem, are you telling me Sasha’s father was thrilled when he found out about you and her?”
Then Penn pointed a finger at Barak. “As for you, it’s not like you listened to anything I had to say when you decided to get involved with my sister.”
At the time, Penn wanted to kill him for daring to touch Lacey. It had taken kidnappers and a mountain threatening to kill all three of them for him to accept that Barak loved Lacey more than life itself. Penn had had as much chance of stopping a volcano from erupting as he did preventing his sister and Barak from building a life together.
Evidently love
was
blind to things like boundary lines and a brother’s prejudices. He thought about Jora as he stared at the scar that had become the focus of his existence. His life had gone radically off track when that Other’s sword had slashed through flesh and bone, and he was still waiting to see where his new destiny would take him.
He’d never expected to end up here with a woman like Jora b’Larth waiting for him back in their room. For the first time in too damn long, he had something to look forward to.
What were Jora’s hopes and dreams for her future? Did she see herself living out her life exploring the wilderness by herself? Was there room for the right man at her side, one who knew her truth and would love her with every breath he drew? He tried to imagine what the guy would be like, but all he could see was himself. Fat chance of that happening.
“This looks delicious.”
Barak’s comment dragged Penn back to the present. He hadn’t even noticed that the waitress had delivered their dinners. If he drifted like this out in the field, people could die.
Jora
could die—but that wasn’t going to happen. Not on his watch. Not ever.
He picked up his fork and began eating, not really noticing how it tasted. The sooner they finished, the sooner he could get back to Jora, where he belonged.
Jora added more hot water to the tub, though her fingertips were already looking like prunes. She hadn’t really expected Penn to stay gone the full hour. At the time, the presence of the three big men in one room had her feeling crowded, but now she only felt abandoned. She’d ordered Penn to give her some space, yet now she was mad because he had. Was that crazy or what?
Ever since she’d made that phone call to Devlin Bane, everything had been off-kilter. She couldn’t go back to the way things had been, so she had to follow this path wherever it might take her. Penn and his friends were the only hope of securing the barrier, but she had serious doubts about the chance for success. Was she crazy for depending on three men she barely knew?
Well, two she barely knew—and one she knew far
“Do you have an appointment we don’t know about?” Barak broke a breadstick in half and took a healthy bite.
There was no good answer to that question, so Penn asked one of his own. “So what do you think of this whole situation?”
Larem leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. “I think Jora is beautiful and smart. She’s also from our world—not yours.”
“That’s not what I was asking.”
“Yes, it was, and I answered. She has no male relative here to stand for her best interests. If she were my sister, we’d be having a long discussion about how unsuitable you would be for her future happiness.”
Penn closed his eyes and prayed for patience. “Whether or not I’m good for Jora is none of your damned business. We’re not having this discussion just because she makes you feel all brotherly, Larem. She’s not your sister.”
Barak interceded. “That may be true, Penn, but it doesn’t change anything. She’s obviously a nice woman who is in over her head with what’s going on around here. And I’m
not
just talking about the barrier and the earthquakes.”
“Stuff it, both of you,” he snapped. “Larem, are you telling me Sasha’s father was thrilled when he found out about you and her?”
Then Penn pointed a finger at Barak. “As for you, it’s not like you listened to anything I had to say when you decided to get involved with my sister.”
At the time, Penn wanted to kill him for daring to touch Lacey. It had taken kidnappers and a mountain threatening to kill all three of them for him to accept that Barak loved Lacey more than life itself. Penn had had as much chance of stopping a volcano from erupting as he did preventing his sister and Barak from building a life together.
Evidently love
was
blind to things like boundary lines and a brother’s prejudices. He thought about Jora as he stared at the scar that had become the focus of his existence. His life had gone radically off track when that Other’s sword had slashed through flesh and bone, and he was still waiting to see where his new destiny would take him.
He’d never expected to end up here with a woman like Jora b’Larth waiting for him back in their room. For the first time in too damn long, he had something to look forward to.
What were Jora’s hopes and dreams for her future? Did she see herself living out her life exploring the wilderness by herself? Was there room for the right man at her side, one who knew her truth and would love her with every breath he drew? He tried to imagine what the guy would be like, but all he could see was himself. Fat chance of that happening.
“This looks delicious.”
Barak’s comment dragged Penn back to the present. He hadn’t even noticed that the waitress had delivered their dinners. If he drifted like this out in the field, people could die.
Jora
could die—but that wasn’t going to happen. Not on his watch. Not ever.
He picked up his fork and began eating, not really noticing how it tasted. The sooner they finished, the sooner he could get back to Jora, where he belonged.
Jora added more hot water to the tub, though her fingertips were already looking like prunes. She hadn’t really expected Penn to stay gone the full hour. At the time, the presence of the three big men in one room had her feeling crowded, but now she only felt abandoned. She’d ordered Penn to give her some space, yet now she was mad because he had. Was that crazy or what?
Ever since she’d made that phone call to Devlin Bane, everything had been off-kilter. She couldn’t go back to the way things had been, so she had to follow this path wherever it might take her. Penn and his friends were the only hope of securing the barrier, but she had serious doubts about the chance for success. Was she crazy for depending on three men she barely knew?
Well, two she barely knew—and one she knew far
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