Crush (Elemental Hearts, #3) Page 5

  “Gemstones. Turquoise or opal or topaz, or hell, I’d even settle for a nice smoky quartz cluster at the moment.”

  He grunted.

  Jade smirked. So much for the conversation. She leaned over and used her pic to tease out soil in a promising-looking area.

  “There’s nothing there.”

  She kept at it anyway. “There isn’t yet, but only because I haven’t got down to it. I’ll probably need to shovel down a few feet before...” She sat back on her heels. “What?”

  Micah was shaking his head. “No gemstones there.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “And you know that how?”

  A shrug of his wide shoulders was his only answer.

  “I think I’ll just keep digging right here.” He moves one big rock and thinks he’s a miner.

  “Okay. But there’s nothing there.”

  “I tell you what. I won’t tell you how to—” She waved her hand in the air, “guard, and you don’t tell me how to mine, okay?” She said it with a smile to soften it because she was amused, not irritated.

  “I can show you where to dig for the gemstones you’re looking for.”

  She stopped her work and looked at him.

  If it wasn’t that he hardly ever talked, she would ignore him and keep on digging. But he seemed so certain, standing there with his arms crossed, shaking his head at her.

  “OK, big man.” She blushed now, not meaning to use the nickname she had for him in her head. “Where should I be digging?”

  He dropped his hands to hang loosely at his sides, palms out, and closed his eyes.

  Aww, big man was a mystic. His parents were definitely hippies. He probably believed in healing energies and ley lines and everything. That turquoise would protect him in travel, and that citrine helped with bad digestion.

  She almost laughed, wanted to, but then he turned and walked over the mountain, eyes still closed. Over large boulders and shifting surface stone, without stumbling or sliding a single step. He almost floated over the rocks. Any other person would have broken an ankle attempting that.

  The hair on her arms raised up.

  When Micah stopped, he turned to her and opened his eyes. The mountain reflected in them, made them look gold instead of brown for a moment.

  “Here. Close enough to the surface for you to reach.” And he smiled.

  It was a good look on him, one she’d had yet to see since they met. Her lips bowed, an answering smile tugging at the corners of her mouth rather than annoyance.

  “You’re cute. But there is no way you could possibly know that.”

  His smile turned deep and enigmatic, and it made her breath short, her stomach quiver. Or the thin air did. He gave her his signature answer, a shrug, and made his way back down the hill as sure-footed and silent as he’d made his way up. All the way back down, to his lookout spot, without another word.

  She watched him go. Finally, she took a deep breath, stomach still fluttering, and turned back to her little pit. She didn’t need a sixth sense to find pockets of gems, she only needed the five she had.

  He could just as easily be right as wrong. Choosing a digging spot was a lot like predicting the weather. You read the signs, predicted where they would lead, and sometimes you were right. A lot of times, you were wrong.

  But she was right about this spot, she could feel it.

  Well, she’d been wrong about this spot.

  Jade tossed her short shovel to the ground with a clink. Either nothing was there, or it was simply too deep to reach.

  She had been working in it for hours. It had yet to yield anything but poorly shaped, low quality minerals. A few tiny crystal points, but even in jewelry they wouldn’t bring that much. Now the only thing she found was dirt. Just dirt.

  And all she had to show for it was achy muscles, sore, dirty hands, and jeans stiff with mud.

  She stepped out of the hole and shoveled dirt back in with a vengeance, back-filling the pit she’d worked so hard to clear.

  So what if Micah was right about there being nothing here? That didn’t mean he was right about something being there.

  She glanced at the man, and then at the spot.

  “Like predicting the weather,” she grumbled under her breath and kept shoveling.

  WHEN JADE STARTED THROWING rocks from a second location, still well away from the spot he’d shown her, Micah had to shake his head.

  He put his fingertips in the rocky soil by his side, sending out a small pulse to confirm. Yes, the crystals were too deep to reach in that spot, too.

  He’d moved the main obstacle in her way. Maybe it would earn him some of her trust, at least enough for a hand up or hand down or any number of small ways he could siphon off her power. But she refused to dig in the spot he’d shown her.

  Why?

  Her spot was unproductive. Why would she ignore a perfectly good location? He’d risked giving his secret away by showing it to her.

  He didn’t understand humans.

  Earning her trust would take longer than he expected. He’d have to think of other ways to get close to her for draining. But what?

  He pushed his fingers into his hair, at a complete loss.

  In the meantime, he’d better call Ajax, let him know what was taking so long with this mission. They’d been prepared for this to take a few days, but it was going to take even longer than that. If Walker hadn’t returned yet, then Ajax needed to know.

  Micah walked away from Jade with his satellite phone. Close enough where he still kept an eye on her, but far enough away that she wouldn’t hear any of his conversation. It likely didn’t matter as occupied as she was, she was much too focused on her work. Other than a curious look as he walked away, she didn’t react.

  Which was fine with him.

  If only she’d listened to him, her goal would already be within reach. His own goal, of getting her safely drained and off the mountain, seemed that much farther away. With that in mind, he dialed Ajax.

  “Ajax here.”

  “Micah.”

  “What’s up, Micah?”

  “Problem.”

  Ajax’s gusty sigh could almost be felt in the wind that blew by Micah’s cheek. “What is it?”

  “The Erratic. She doesn’t trust me. Won’t let me touch her.”

  The grumbles on the other end of the phone line said Ajax understood the issues. No touching equaled no draining.

  “Kidnapping still off the table?”

  “Yes. I’m working on it, but it’s going to take a bit longer.”

  “Yeah, well I guess you can have the time. Things seem quiet otherwise.” There were a few seconds of silence before Ajax continued. “Hey, you know what helps to earn the trust of a woman?”

  Intrigued, Micah asked, “What?” Perhaps Ajax knew of something else he could attempt—

  “Talking to her. You should try that.” And then Ajax laughed. And laughed some more, for what was probably an entire minute.

  Micah ground his teeth together. “And maybe you should try talking less.” Pointedly, he disconnected the call. Ajax was probably laughing harder on the other end, but he didn’t care. The phone call had served its purpose. Ajax was aware he wouldn’t be back to base for at least a couple more weeks. If Walker returned or there was any other important news, Ajax had his number.

  Until then, he’d have to look for opportunities to earn Jade’s trust, to drain her. And hope the Chaolt stayed at bay.

  CHAPTER SIX

  JADE LAID IN A TUNNEL with only her calves and feet sticking out when her flashlight yellowed and dimmed.

  “Damn it.” She beat the flashlight against her other palm and its brightness returned. That meant she only had a few minutes before she needed batteries. Which were down at the campsite. But this was the third hole she’d made, and it had taken that many long days of digging and hammering and chipping, and she wasn’t leaving today until she was satisfied.

  Twenty minutes later, even whacking the light did
n’t help. It dimmed to a weak yellow, then sputtered out, leaving her in darkness.

  She rested her sweaty forehead against her gritty arm and closed her eyes. The mountain was being stingy with her. She was hitting dead end after dead end.

  Yesterday when she’d hit this pocket, she’d thrown a triumphant look in Micah’s direction and then dug with excitement until she laid in a hole almost as deep as she was tall. But she’d been at it for hours today and had yet to see anything worthwhile. So far, there were only junk rocks in this pocket. Either they were misshapen and poor quality, or they were pretty but worthless. In previous years she would have taken a few of the pretty one’s home, displayed them. But she needed money, dammit.

  Maybe if she dug a little more, those junk rocks would lead to better-shaped and more valuable crystals. She always had the feeling that if she was patient a little longer, if she dug a just little farther, she’d find what she was looking for, hit that big strike. A pocket of gems so plentiful, she and her mother would be set for life. It was a tease, a lure that kept miners digging until they reached a dead end.

  And sometimes a deadly end.

  Even so, she wasn’t immune to it. She wanted to keep digging, get past this wall of rock to see what lie behind it.

  But she couldn’t do that in the dark.

  With a heavy sigh, Jade shimmied backwards out of the narrow hole until she could push herself up.

  Muscles protesting, she stood and shook out the dust and dried mud from her braid and bangs.

  Pushing her safety glasses up on her head, she peeked over at Micah. He was still in his spot, still looking in the same direction. Sunset rays bathed his brown skin with a copper light, reflected off of little beads in his hair. For a moment she couldn’t look away.

  Even though he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, he looked like a warrior from another time and place. There was something so wild and striking about him. As if he would run into battle at any moment, wielding a spear or a club. Or, say, the really long knife holstered between his shoulder blades. But he was a contradiction. Physically imposing, yet he had a quiet demeanor. And gentle eyes.

  He glanced toward her, and she had to think up a reason for staring at him. Again.

  “Why do you only look in one spot? Couldn’t claim jumpers come from anywhere?”

  With a hand motion, he gestured north. “If there is any danger to you, it will come from that direction.”

  He sounded so sure that her eyes followed his. All she saw was rock, peak after peak of broken stone. Thousands of feet of scattered rocks and boulders and cliffs.

  And shadows, that seemed to gather and lengthen as she watched. Did the shadows seem darker there? She wrinkled her forehead. Why did she get a bad feeling all of a sudden, after seeing this same scene dozens of times before? The crawl between her shoulder blades that said that something was wrong over there.

  Which was silly, because the only real threats here were nature and man.

  And nature was telling her it was time to go.

  “I’m done for today. It’s getting too dark.”

  In just that few minutes since she’d crawled from her hole, the sun had sunk behind the peaks of the mountain, casting their side in shadow. The tunnels were always dark inside so she had difficulty judging the hour, and today, she’d miscalculated. She’d be lucky to find her way safely down the mountain.

  Which normally wasn’t a concern, of course, except she’d used up her flashlight batteries looking for a sign. For any sign, that she wasn’t wasting her time and energy and effort, only to fail.

  Jade finished packing her stuff, and with the palm of her hand, rubbed her tired eyes. Squinting into the semi-darkness had strained them, and she hadn’t been sleeping that well, anyway. Usually, she had no trouble falling right to sleep when she got to camp. The physical exertion of mining guaranteed she slept like a baby. But not this trip.

  It must be the pressure she was under to succeed. Her mother’s state had deteriorated so much since her last trip, even though only a year had passed. Taking home gemstones was no longer about personal or professional pride, or the joy and sense of accomplishment of getting minerals out of the earth.

  It was life and death.

  Death for her mother at a cheaper, less quality care home. Or life, as much as she could have, at a great one.

  Jade gritted her teeth, her frustration and fatigue making her eyes burn more. But crying would help nothing, and she’d be damned if she’d put the energy into that. What she needed were a hearty meal and a good night’s sleep, and to come back tomorrow and kick this mountain’s ass.

  Her pack felt heavier than it did this morning despite the lack of minerals in it, but she slung it across her back, buckling the straps.

  “Let’s go.”

  Micah held out his hand, the way he always did. But she ignored it, like she always did. It was getting harder to see that tiny wrinkle of disappointment appear between his eyebrows, but he didn’t understand. She didn’t either, but... she shouldn’t touch him. Not because of anything to do with him, but because she couldn’t keep him off her mind, out of her dreams.

  Honestly, it was probably her fault for giving him such a thorough once-over when they first met. She could kick herself for that. But if she found a huge, rare crystal, a truly amazing specimen, she’d need to look closer. She’d have to touch it.

  And dammit, Micah was an amazing specimen. She’d love the chance to run her hands all over his planes and surfaces.

  But she didn’t need the distraction. She didn’t come up here to sigh over a handsome man, she had work to do, and a firm deadline. Winter came to the mountains about a month earlier than it did the plains. And in between spring thaw and the first heavy snow of winter, there were plenty of days of bad conditions that would keep her from mining. Rain, hail, sleet, snow. High winds, lightning. Bad weather could shave a week or more off her mining season. She had to have as many high-quality gemstones in her hands as she could before that time came.

  Jade picked her way over the trail as fast as she could manage. It got fully dark faster than she anticipated. She could already see the glow from the town in the dusky light. There were no such lights up here, and with nothing but meager starlight, soon it would be pitch black. It was much too risky to stay this long again. If she was alone, she might break a leg in the dark and not be found for days.

  Thankfully, she wasn’t alone. But Micah, damn him, didn’t seem to have the same trouble navigating the trail as she was. He’d started out behind her, but now she struggled to keep up with him.

  He didn’t say anything, just waited silently every time he got too many steps in front of her.

  She wanted to tell him to go ahead, not to wait for her. She knew the way back to camp, and she could make it back on her own. Eventually.

  But with tired eyes and the chill of night coming on, the threat of hurting herself if she didn’t pay close enough attention, and the fact that she could hardly focus from fatigue... she couldn’t tell him to go on without her. Wouldn’t.

  Her pride was as drained as her flashlight batteries.

  MICAH SETTLED IN FOR another hour of surveillance even though the sun was setting when Jade crawled out of her hole.

  Her cheeks were red with cold and effort, and she was breathing heavy. She looked tired.

  She’d had some small luck in the new hole she’d dug, but nothing of great value. If only she’d mine the spot he’d showed her...

  With one last pulse of power toward the portal, he turned away. He would eat and then make his way back to his post after Jade was asleep. His duties extended to nighttime too, but he didn’t need much sleep.

  When Jade shrugged on her pack, he held out his hand.

  “Let’s go,” she said, ignoring his outstretched hand and starting down the rocky trail towards the camp at the bottom of the mountain. His fingers curled into a fist. He’d gained her gratitude, but not her trust, by moving the boulder.

&nbs
p; Twenty minutes later, he led the way, Jade carefully picking her way through rocks and shadows behind him. It was that strange part of dusk where the sky above them still had light, but the ground below their feet was a field of black and gray. Individual stones were impossible to pick out. He paused a step to let her catch up. Not long after that, Micah had to stop again and wait for her.

  “How can you be so much faster than me, Micah?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Better night vision.” Technically, not a lie. His Earth powers gave him the ability to sense the rocks, the boulders and loose gravel in the dark, but her powers were too weak, buried too deep for her to do that.

  She harrumphed, and he turned back down the path.

  Minutes later, Jade was swearing under her breath trying to keep her footing.

  He stopped and reached out a hand again. Jade almost ran into it before she looked up. Stubbornly, she just looked at it, keeping her hands on the straps of her pack.

  “I don’t need help.”

  He kept his hand out and didn’t move out of her way. “My job is to protect you.” His job, and his mission. One a cover for the other, but they both condensed down to the same thing. Keep Jade safe from anything that might harm her, including herself. He used the one thing that would change her mind; her desperation. “If you break an ankle, you cannot mine.”

  It would likely be safer for her to be at home recovering from an injury, away from the Chaolt and the portal, but he knew she wouldn’t agree.

  She slapped her chilled hand in his, and he waited until he turned away to smile. But his smile faltered because there seemed to be a new sensation inside him, caused simply by touching her. A warmth, a pleasurable hum, and it had nothing to do with powers or draining. He was... happier holding her hand.

  But he still had to drain her.

  He led her down the path his senses picked, finding the safest and most stable route. As he did, he slowly absorbed power from her. Where their hands joined, he felt her power like a thread of molten gold, traveling from her depths into his.