forehead. "So we go to the hospital with Marina, and then you will come with me to rescue my brother from the demon."
What? "Your brother is with the demon?"
"He's been captured…it's where I went when I went ."
"I have to go find this preacher who has this cane that we need."
"We'll sort this out later. Get in the ambulance before they leave. I'll meet you there."
That seemed like a good idea. Christophe made sense. In the midst of the confusion and chaos, he could walk a straight path. She nodded and climbed into the vehicle to go with Marina.
Everything would be fine. It had to be. Still, a niggling thought threatened the calm she wanted to embrace. Who had that man standing next to Jacob Talbot been, and what had happened to her after the explosion?
Had she really heard a voice in the flames?
Because if she had, she needed to admit two things. First, it hadn't been Sebastian's voice beckoning her, and second, she had wanted to obey the words in her head. She'd almost run right into the flames.
Grabbing Marina's hand, she squeezed. "Don't worry, hon. Jason is coming." Where the hell was Drew?
* * * *
Ruby took a sip of her coffee and waited outside of Marina's room. Jason had told her to guard the door. Of course, what she was supposed to do if someone came and tried to get into the area while he worked on Marina had been left out of her instructions. She barely stood over five feet tall. Did he want her to throw herself onto someone?
"Is she okay?" She jumped at Christophe's voice.
How had he managed to sneak up on her?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."
"No." She waved her hand in the air, trying to seem more nonchalant than she felt. "I'm not usually this jumpy."
"I bet you don't usually have reason to be."
She nodded. "Fair enough."
"Marina okay?"
"Jason managed to get himself in there. Talked his way into her room and got the other doctors out of there. I have no idea how. They all kind of just left."
Christophe leaned against the wall. She wanted to smooth away the small dark circles under his eyes, to offer him comfort. It pained her to keep her hand at her side, but she couldn't reach out and touch a man she'd only spoken to a few times. Even if he, technically, happened to be her soul mate.
"Is that one of his powers?"
She had to get her head back into their conversation. "I don't think so. Maybe Charma helped him from afar or something."
"When he takes Marina home, we need to talk." His dark eyes bored into hers.
"Sure." God, she needed to stop sounding so ditzy when she spoke to him.
"You know I study gemstones."
The loud noises of the hospital faded away. Jason might get caught doing whatever he did to fix Marina. She really didn't care. Not when Christophe looked at her so intently, not when her body filled up with heat, making her feel like she wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor in front of him.
"I know. You're teaching science to freshmen, but you're really some kind of big deal in Europe, aren't you? You study big, high-tech uses for gems. That's what the other professors said, anyway."
He grinned, a crooked smile. "I teach science to eighteen-year-old English majors because I saw you."
"What?" Her heart fluttered.
"Ruby." He stroked a finger down her nose. Why had she thought she couldn't touch him? "I had to be wherever you were."
On a sigh, she said his name, "Christophe."
What was happening? Nothing so intense should come on so fast. She preferred to ease into things, to take her time with them. This felt foolish. And wonderful. And perfect.
"Rubies have always been thought to have mystical qualities."
She smiled. "Is that so?"
Christophe could tell her anything he wanted. All she wanted to do was listen to his voice. Forever. Even if somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew this obsession she'd lost control over would prove to be a very large problem.
Chapter Six
Jacob opened his wallet, disgusted at having to pay the man who stood in
What? "Your brother is with the demon?"
"He's been captured…it's where I went when I went ."
"I have to go find this preacher who has this cane that we need."
"We'll sort this out later. Get in the ambulance before they leave. I'll meet you there."
That seemed like a good idea. Christophe made sense. In the midst of the confusion and chaos, he could walk a straight path. She nodded and climbed into the vehicle to go with Marina.
Everything would be fine. It had to be. Still, a niggling thought threatened the calm she wanted to embrace. Who had that man standing next to Jacob Talbot been, and what had happened to her after the explosion?
Had she really heard a voice in the flames?
Because if she had, she needed to admit two things. First, it hadn't been Sebastian's voice beckoning her, and second, she had wanted to obey the words in her head. She'd almost run right into the flames.
Grabbing Marina's hand, she squeezed. "Don't worry, hon. Jason is coming." Where the hell was Drew?
* * * *
Ruby took a sip of her coffee and waited outside of Marina's room. Jason had told her to guard the door. Of course, what she was supposed to do if someone came and tried to get into the area while he worked on Marina had been left out of her instructions. She barely stood over five feet tall. Did he want her to throw herself onto someone?
"Is she okay?" She jumped at Christophe's voice.
How had he managed to sneak up on her?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."
"No." She waved her hand in the air, trying to seem more nonchalant than she felt. "I'm not usually this jumpy."
"I bet you don't usually have reason to be."
She nodded. "Fair enough."
"Marina okay?"
"Jason managed to get himself in there. Talked his way into her room and got the other doctors out of there. I have no idea how. They all kind of just left."
Christophe leaned against the wall. She wanted to smooth away the small dark circles under his eyes, to offer him comfort. It pained her to keep her hand at her side, but she couldn't reach out and touch a man she'd only spoken to a few times. Even if he, technically, happened to be her soul mate.
"Is that one of his powers?"
She had to get her head back into their conversation. "I don't think so. Maybe Charma helped him from afar or something."
"When he takes Marina home, we need to talk." His dark eyes bored into hers.
"Sure." God, she needed to stop sounding so ditzy when she spoke to him.
"You know I study gemstones."
The loud noises of the hospital faded away. Jason might get caught doing whatever he did to fix Marina. She really didn't care. Not when Christophe looked at her so intently, not when her body filled up with heat, making her feel like she wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor in front of him.
"I know. You're teaching science to freshmen, but you're really some kind of big deal in Europe, aren't you? You study big, high-tech uses for gems. That's what the other professors said, anyway."
He grinned, a crooked smile. "I teach science to eighteen-year-old English majors because I saw you."
"What?" Her heart fluttered.
"Ruby." He stroked a finger down her nose. Why had she thought she couldn't touch him? "I had to be wherever you were."
On a sigh, she said his name, "Christophe."
What was happening? Nothing so intense should come on so fast. She preferred to ease into things, to take her time with them. This felt foolish. And wonderful. And perfect.
"Rubies have always been thought to have mystical qualities."
She smiled. "Is that so?"
Christophe could tell her anything he wanted. All she wanted to do was listen to his voice. Forever. Even if somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew this obsession she'd lost control over would prove to be a very large problem.
Chapter Six
Jacob opened his wallet, disgusted at having to pay the man who stood in
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