Accidentally in Love with…a God?(Accidentally Yours #1)(57)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

“We’re leaving?” I asked. “Now?”

Guy’s wild eyes were pumped with adrenaline. “We, as in myself and the Uchben. You’re staying here.”

“I thought you needed me.”

“Not anymore. The jars are keeping the other gods trapped in the cenotes, and the Uchben are perfectly capable of removing them.”

I was supposed to be relieved. Wasn’t I? But something unpleasant was gnawing at me. “I thought you weren’t leaving for a few more days. What happened?”

“We were only delaying so Xavier could have a chance to dig up information. He’s done that, and now there’s no reason to wait any longer. We have work to do.”

I could see he was hiding something. “There’s more. Isn’t there?”

The sun shined on one side of his face. The light made his eyes look softer somehow, like translucent, icy blue lakes, though his expression was hard. A fortress. He was in warrior mode and thinking about bad things, dark things. Maybe…death? And war?

Of course he was. I sighed. He was such a hopeless case.

He ran his hands over the top of his head and down the back of his neck. “The Uchben we sent ahead are missing. We think the Maaskab were tipped off.”

I gasped. “Why do you think that?”

“One of the Maaskab answered Tommaso’s cell phone and told us so.”

If this were any other situation, I would be cracking a joke about a Maaskab talking on a cell. It would fall somewhere in the category of a vampire riding a unicycle. Just seemed funny.

“But it could be a mind game to make you second guess your own people. Tommaso could have lost his phone,” I offered.

“Perhaps, although not likely.”

“So, you think Tommaso is dead?”

“Very likely.”

How could he be so matter-of-fact about this while my heart was sinking? It was my fault. Guy sent him to Mexico because of me. Me. Never in a million years did I imagine he’d be in danger. I wanted to die.

My knees were about to take a siesta. “I—I’m not staying here.” I reached my hand out and steadied myself against Guy’s chest.

“You’ll only get in the way, Emma, and if Tommaso is dead, there’s nothing you can do.”

The tears began to trickle. “I’m not your property, Guy. You can’t tell me what to do. This is all my fault, and I should do something to help.”

People were now gathering around us to stare and take pictures of Guy.

“Emma.” He grabbed me by the elbow, dragging me across the courtyard. “I get it. You’re devastated. This is truly a horrible situation. But Tommaso was—is—a grown man and knew perfectly well what kind of life he’d signed up for. He accepted the risk. But are you so naïve that you’d believe he’d want to put your life in danger to save him? Or die needlessly? Are you so stubborn that you’re willing to forget those monsters at my villa? How about the pile of bodies they left behind?”

I wanted to vomit. “What about you?” I asked.

He stopped and turned to face me then laughed in that deep arrogant rumble. “Emma. Really. I’ll be fine. I’m indestructible, remember?”

“Yeah, famous last words from a man trapped for seventy years in a Mayan swimming hole. And, didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s a bad idea to tempt fate like that?”

He shrugged casually. “I supposed I heard that once or twice, but fate and I are old friends. Some might call us partners.”

Okay. Strange. But I didn’t have time to dig deep into that one. Pock-et.

“Guy?” I slipped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest. I inhaled that sweet and smoky scent, which gently infused the air around him. I guessed it was what a god in his position should smell like. Dark, delicious, and deadly?

“Yes?” He wrapped his arms around me.

“I want you to put it back…the bond.”

He pulled away just enough to see my face. He looked way too happy, one might even say, smug. Like he’d achieved some giant victory. “Why?” he asked.

I didn’t really know why. I felt like the tiny ledge of sanity I’d managed to perch on was crumbling. Tommaso, who at a minimum I considered a friend for having risked his life for me, was dead. My family was still in danger. My life was still in ruins. And as a topper to my chaos salad, I couldn’t stand being left behind. I wanted to go to Mexico and see this end myself. I wanted to hear the Scabs tell me what they’d done with my grandmother. I wanted to see them pay for everything.

“Oh, stop gloating.” I rolled my eyes.

He laughed loudly. “That’s my spunky girl.”

Girl? Impossible. He was impossible.

“Emma, I want you to know something. It has to do with what you said last night. Despite what you believe, I don’t know more about the circumstances surrounding Gabriela’s horrible fate. But I have every intention of finding out and punishing the Maaskab severely, for everything.” He looked away for a moment then stared down at me, as if willing me to see the honesty in his eyes. “I just wanted you to know that before I left.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. “For telling me the truth.” Then a part of me thought about how great it felt delegating my revenge to Guy. I’d bet he was really, really good at it. The best.

“Come on.” He brushed his thumb affectionately along my lower lip. “We only have a few minutes; we’ll have to make it fast.”

Chapter THIRTY-TWO

“What do we have to do? You’re not going to make me sacrifice a little bunny or something?” I asked as we charged toward his quarters.

He laughed. “No, my sweet.”

There were two men I didn’t recognize waiting at his door. “Who are they?” I whispered.

“Jake, Alexander…this is Emma.” He gave them a nod. “They are tenth generation Uchben and will be looking after you.”

Jeez, seemed like there was an endless supply of brawny, fierce men around the place. They probably grew them in a garden outback. I smiled and greeted them.

“We’ll just be a minute,” Guy said. He pulled me inside to the sitting area then headed for the bathroom. He returned with a pair of silver sheers, reached around to the nape of his neck, and cut ten inches off his braid. The rest of his thick shiny hair fell around his face. He looked devastatingly handsome.

“Here. Hold this.” He handed me the braid. “Now turn around.”