Chapter 2

• As they drove closer to a vehicle pulled over on the grass, Deva couldn’t hide the shock. It took her a moment to see that it was Asher, in colorful shorts, a wide-brimmed hat, and—she leaned forward, in flip-flops. It made her feel a little better about the outfit she was wearing. On the grass sat a woman on a fold-out stool. She had an easel in front of her and was painting.
• “They are playing the touring peoples very good.” Taggart put the car in park and got out.
• She watched him walk over to Asher. The way he spoke was very broken, but she found it endearing at the same time. “You are in trouble, girl.” Getting out, she walked over to Asher. “You do tourist well.”
• He looked her up and down. “I didn’t recognize you.” He grinned.
• She looked down at the dress. The last time she wore a dress, she was eight, she thought. Her three sisters loved wearing them, but Deva didn’t. “It’s temporary.” She tilted her head and studied him when he smiled at her again. Somehow, he looked different but the same. When he turned and looked over at Journee, she saw it—a mate’s mark.
• “Are you okay?”
• She blinked and then nodded. “Yeah. A little off balance from being flown here.” Motioning to the woman with the almost white hair sitting by the easel, she smiled, “Are you going to introduce me to your mate?”
• Asher smiled again. “Yes.”
• “And then someone needs to tell me why we’re here.”
• Taggart was leaning against Asher’s ride, looking through binoculars. “The lost island is found.”
• Deva looked at him and then out over the water. “The one they take the girls to?”
• Taggart nodded. “Ja. We are here to save the girls.”
• “There’s more than girls out there right now.” Journee got up and turned around. “They brought others here, boys included.”
• Deva looked at Asher and then back to her. “They panicked?”
• Asher went over and put his arm around Journee. He looked so happy. Deva had never seen him like this, not in the two years she’d been working with him. “We think the boy’s camp might be up there—” He pointed to the mountains. “—but we’ll know more about that after everyone is at the house.”
• Deva held out her hand to Taggart. He gave her the binoculars. She lifted them to her eyes and scanned the water. “Which one?”
• Taggart came over and stood behind her. Grasping her shoulders lightly, he turned her toward the left. “That one.”
• When he continued to stand there with his hands on her, she had trouble focusing on what she was looking at. Taking a few steps forward, he released her. The island wasn’t huge, but there was enough area to worry about, not knowing how many were on it. “When are we going there?”
• “Won’t know until later.” Asher was standing beside her now. “Devin is calling when everyone is at the house.”
• She lowered the binoculars and looked at him. “Any word about the king?”
• He shook his head. “I met one of the guys looking for him.”
• “Dobry.” Taggart took the binoculars out of her hand. “His twin, Demir, is closing in.”
• “To find him?” Asher went over and put his arm around Journee again.
• “We know more later. They call me.” Taggart lowered the binoculars and held them out to Asher. “We go to the house now.” He nodded and walked back to the car.
• Deva watched him for a second and then shook her head. “I guess we’ll get to know each other later, Journee.” She smiled at her.
• Journee nodded. “Thank you—for helping me shop. I can’t remember if I said that.” She hugged Asher. “I’m just worried they’ll take Calum’s mother off the island before we get there.”
• Deva looked back in the direction of the island. “She’s on the island?”
• “Yes.” She flipped her hair back from her face. “We’re watching it all the time in case they take them off there.”
• “Just the two of you?”
• Asher motioned to the water. “Slater is down there on the water somewhere, and Calla is almost here. They’ll keep watch so we can take a break.”
• Taggart was leaning on the car, watching her.
• “Okay, well, I’m going to go to the house and get out of this dress.” She motioned to it. “I feel wrong.”
• Asher laughed and motioned to his outfit. “Can’t be as bad as this.”
• Deva grinned as she walked by him. “I don’t know, could be a new look for you.”
• “Not a chance.”
• She climbed into the passenger seat and watched the two mates hug each other. They looked so happy. That was good. Asher deserved some happiness. She needed to talk to Amari and get the scoop on things she’d obviously missed. When Jesse called her about Shepard Addison, Deva had to pull over and sit there for several minutes. Taking the king wasn’t going to end well for Aiden Tomas.
• “You are inside your head.”
• She glanced over at Taggart and tried not to smile. “Just thinking about how big of a mistake Aiden Tomas made taking the king.”
• “He will be a sorry somebody.”
• “Yes. He will.”