happened was wrong.” She paused. “We made a mistake, and it can’t happen again, okay?”
“No, not okay.” He stepped forward towering over her. “It wasn’t wrong. It couldn’t have been more right.”
Scarlet tilted her head up to look him in the eye.
“I don’t know what kind of woman you think I am, but I’m not the kind of woman who messes with a guy who’s got someone, it’s not in me.”
“Wait, what?”
Heath pushed through the door with a mop and a bucket.
Archer glared over at Heath for the bad timing, then grabbed Scarlet’s wrist, and dragged her into the bedroom.
“What do you mean, a guy that’s got someone ?” he asked as he shoved the door closed.
Scarlet went to sit on the bed, then thought better of it, and moved to stand with her back to the opposite wall.
“Selene told me. So you can’t pretend you are single.”
He sighed, and scrubbed his face with his hands. “What Selene told you is nothing more than a fantasy— her fantasy.”
He walked up to Scarlet, and took her chin in his fingers, lifting her face. “Look at me when I tell you this. Selene is not my She . She never was, but she wanted to be.”
“You are sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” He gave her the most beautiful smile. “My beast never recognized her. He has other ideas.”
“Oh?” Scarlet was itching with curiosity. Was he telling her that he did have a She?
“Never mind the, oh. Just believe me when I tell you that I’m not with Selene, or any other woman.”
“But what did you mean…”
Someone knocked on the door. “Hey, Archer, how ‘bout you get your ass out here so we can plan the next leg of the journey, and how about you do it before Geo and his sidekick get back,” Tate’s voice growled through the wood of the door.
“We are on our way,” Archer called, then dipped his head to slant a kiss over Scarlet’s lips.
“We’ll continue this discussion later, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good.” He went and pulled the door open. “Well? Are you coming?”
Scarlet gave him a bright smile, and followed him out the door.
Chapter Seven
Four tables were pushed together in the front of the diner, and everyone was vying for a place around them. The copied map to the Unnamed Oracle was spread in the middle of the table, and the other maps were spread around it.
Scarlet found herself a spot and staked a claim. She was prepared to use elbows to protect it, but the others didn’t try and push her away. It surprised her, because up ‘til now, these people had been happy to make all her decisions for her and keep her out of the information loop.
Sophia came to stand next to Scarlet, giving her a conspiratorial wink. “This is going to be fun, so sit back, and watch males be males.”
“What, no GPS coordinates?” Erik asked as he pushed his way in between Heath and Sophia.
Heath snorted and muttered, “Smartass.”
Tate leaned over the maps, read them for a second, and said, “This is what we are going to do—we are going to take this route. It will get us to the town of Nightingale by nightfall, and then we can find a motel and hunker down for the day.” He used his finger to draw out the route he wanted to take on the map.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Heath chimed in. “If we take that route, we are going fifty clicks out of our way.”
Erik slapped Heath on the back of the head, “Who says clicks, really? We are bounty hunters not Army Rangers.”
“Do that again, and I’ll rip your hand off and feed it to my dog,” Heath growled.
“You don’t have a dog.”
“I’ll buy one especially for the task, a big ass mother, and I’ll call him Tinkerbelle, and when the other dogs tease him, and he gets all pissed off, I’ll tell him you named him.”
Scarlet decided to accept that these people were a total different breed than humans, and in more than just an esoteric way.
“Will you all shut-up?” Archer interrupted before Erik could come up with a
“No, not okay.” He stepped forward towering over her. “It wasn’t wrong. It couldn’t have been more right.”
Scarlet tilted her head up to look him in the eye.
“I don’t know what kind of woman you think I am, but I’m not the kind of woman who messes with a guy who’s got someone, it’s not in me.”
“Wait, what?”
Heath pushed through the door with a mop and a bucket.
Archer glared over at Heath for the bad timing, then grabbed Scarlet’s wrist, and dragged her into the bedroom.
“What do you mean, a guy that’s got someone ?” he asked as he shoved the door closed.
Scarlet went to sit on the bed, then thought better of it, and moved to stand with her back to the opposite wall.
“Selene told me. So you can’t pretend you are single.”
He sighed, and scrubbed his face with his hands. “What Selene told you is nothing more than a fantasy— her fantasy.”
He walked up to Scarlet, and took her chin in his fingers, lifting her face. “Look at me when I tell you this. Selene is not my She . She never was, but she wanted to be.”
“You are sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” He gave her the most beautiful smile. “My beast never recognized her. He has other ideas.”
“Oh?” Scarlet was itching with curiosity. Was he telling her that he did have a She?
“Never mind the, oh. Just believe me when I tell you that I’m not with Selene, or any other woman.”
“But what did you mean…”
Someone knocked on the door. “Hey, Archer, how ‘bout you get your ass out here so we can plan the next leg of the journey, and how about you do it before Geo and his sidekick get back,” Tate’s voice growled through the wood of the door.
“We are on our way,” Archer called, then dipped his head to slant a kiss over Scarlet’s lips.
“We’ll continue this discussion later, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good.” He went and pulled the door open. “Well? Are you coming?”
Scarlet gave him a bright smile, and followed him out the door.
Chapter Seven
Four tables were pushed together in the front of the diner, and everyone was vying for a place around them. The copied map to the Unnamed Oracle was spread in the middle of the table, and the other maps were spread around it.
Scarlet found herself a spot and staked a claim. She was prepared to use elbows to protect it, but the others didn’t try and push her away. It surprised her, because up ‘til now, these people had been happy to make all her decisions for her and keep her out of the information loop.
Sophia came to stand next to Scarlet, giving her a conspiratorial wink. “This is going to be fun, so sit back, and watch males be males.”
“What, no GPS coordinates?” Erik asked as he pushed his way in between Heath and Sophia.
Heath snorted and muttered, “Smartass.”
Tate leaned over the maps, read them for a second, and said, “This is what we are going to do—we are going to take this route. It will get us to the town of Nightingale by nightfall, and then we can find a motel and hunker down for the day.” He used his finger to draw out the route he wanted to take on the map.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Heath chimed in. “If we take that route, we are going fifty clicks out of our way.”
Erik slapped Heath on the back of the head, “Who says clicks, really? We are bounty hunters not Army Rangers.”
“Do that again, and I’ll rip your hand off and feed it to my dog,” Heath growled.
“You don’t have a dog.”
“I’ll buy one especially for the task, a big ass mother, and I’ll call him Tinkerbelle, and when the other dogs tease him, and he gets all pissed off, I’ll tell him you named him.”
Scarlet decided to accept that these people were a total different breed than humans, and in more than just an esoteric way.
“Will you all shut-up?” Archer interrupted before Erik could come up with a
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