Once Upon a Valentine by Stephanie Bond Page A

pieces there. But a month ago, during the brief time the border was open, she had been forced to act quickly. To her surprise, she’d learned a new Antiquities Protection Bureau had set up inspection stations at the major crossings. They were checking all packages being taken from Elatyria to Earth. She couldn’t have risked them finding the map pieces and misconstruing her intent. Of course she would never sell them to some eccentric collector, she was merely holding them to keep them safe. But how to explain that to hired hands who would see the map and likely seize it, no matter her protestations about who she was or what she did?
    To go all the way home to Riverdale to store it with someone trustworthy would have delayed her trip by a full month—until the borders opened again with the next full moon. So, torn with indecision, she’d finally left them hidden in Foxglen, wrapped carefully in oilskin and hidden beneath the tavern’s stone floor.
    They’re safe. They’ve got to be.
    Anticipating that exciting moment when the three pieces would form a wonderful new picture—one which, she felt sure, would be enough to show her the way to the castle—Ashlynn stepped out of the forest, a stone’s throw from the nearest cottage. Safety beckoned, as did comfort. Yet, the eerie feeling that she was being watched persisted.
    She suddenly realized why.
    He leaped out of thin air. A large man, lunging for her, silent and with undoubtedly deadly intent.
    Before Ashlynn had time to react, or even make a sound, he wrapped a powerful arm around her waist, clamped a big hand over her mouth and dragged her back into the forest.
     
     
    OF ALL THE JOBS Raine Fowler had ever taken, this had to be one of the worst. He’d survived poisoned darts in the tomb of an ancient king. He’d made it through the crash of a small plane in the Amazon. He’d been shot at while, um, liberating a Mayan artifact from a group of competitors. Hell, he’d even managed to survive after hooking up with the daughter of an overprotective billionaire who’d hired him to lead them on an archaeological safari.
    But this? Having to play babysitter and follow some hardheaded chick into the next frigging world so he could try to keep her from getting herself killed? Crazy. Especially because the hardheaded chick was, at this moment, trying to chew off a few of his fingers. He winced when she got in one particularly good nip, instinctively pulling away. “Would you stop it?”
    “Let me go!”
    Her angry voice cut through the night and he slammed his hand back. “Quiet,” he growled, his grip tight across her mouth.
    A sexy mouth, he had to admit. It went well with the sexy rest of her. Hey, just because the woman was a royal pain didn’t mean he hadn’t stiffened his seams and needed to take a mental cold shower the first time he’d laid eyes on her. And just about every damn time since.
    He’d first seen her nearly a month ago, in Philadelphia. He’d been contracted to find her, follow her and keep her out of trouble. He still wasn’t entirely sure who the odd-looking old man who’d hired him was. But gold spent well in any world; these days, probably better on Earth—where he spent most of his time. And the stranger had been offering a lot of it.
    But maybe not enough, he thought as she head-butted him, the back of her skull thunking on the bridge of his nose.
    “Ow,” he snapped, tightening his arm across her slim waist. “Lady, you’re getting to be more trouble than you’re worth. I should let them have you.”
    But he couldn’t. He’d taken the contract, agreed to protect her from afar until she got safely home. And once Raine Fowler took an assignment, he finished it. Failure wasn’t an option, not in his business where one bad job could mean another dozen potential ones dried up and disappeared.
    He’d been an independent contractor—some might call him an adventurer, others might say tomb raider or even soldier of