She bit back a laugh at Liam’s startled expression.
“You’re getting undressed now?” Liam said. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you. I’m not usually a fan of tattoos, but those are damned sexy on you.”
Baba flushed a little at Liam’s comment. He thought she was sexy. But she just said, a touch more acerbically than usual, “Don’t be silly—they’re magic.”
She rubbed each tattoo in turn, reciting the Russian phrase that would summon the Rider attached to it. “There. Each Rider has his own symbol, and each Baba has a matching one she can use to summon them when they’re needed.”
Liam looked intrigued as he tried not to stare. “So all the other Babas have tattoos like yours?”
“Oh, no,” Baba said. “Beka has hers set into a necklace and a pair of earrings, and others use much smaller markings or even sets of decorated rocks. I just happen to like tattoos. And dragons, of course.”
“Ah,” Liam said, trying to hand her back her tee shirt. “Do we have to wait for the guys to show up? I’m assuming you can get us through whatever barrier stopped Penelope. Maya already has a serious head start on us. If this cavern is anything like the others in the area, it’s riddled with twists and turns and dead ends. We could have a tough time finding which way she went; we need to hurry if we’re going to have any chance of catching up with her.”
Baba shook her head, backing away from him. “The Riders will be here soon. Besides, I know there’s no time to waste, but I can’t go into the Otherworld unarmed and dressed like this.”
She snapped her fingers, and her formal court attire appeared, along with the silver sword and bejeweled knife she usually carried. There was no way she was going to face Maya without some kind of weapon. And if, heaven forefend, they couldn’t find her, there was no way she was going to face the queen and tell her so wearing a pair of dusty black leather pants.
“Okay,” Baba said to Liam. “You want to turn around so I can change my clothes?” Liam raised his eyebrows questioningly, but obliged. Despite all they’d been through, she suddenly felt self-conscious about having him watch her disrobe. It was disconcerting, the strange way she felt around him, as though the once solid land had turned to quicksand. Lust and longing she understood—this odd push and pull of emotion just confused her. But there was no time to worry about it now.
She shimmied out of her everyday clothes and into her Otherworld garb, then slid her boots up over her calves and fastened the belt around her waist, muttering under her breath as she struggled to tuck her long hair up and pin it into place.
“You can turn around now.” She loved the way his eyes widened with admiration when he saw her all dressed up. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her feel all odd and shivery, like she’d swallowed a rainbow sideways. “I’m ready,” she said, trying to ignore the bizarre sensation in her gut. What a time to discover that perhaps she knew what love was after all.
Liam took a step closer, dropping her jacket and shirt onto the ground so he could put one hand on either side of her face. He was so close, she could see the tiny flecks of green in among the brown and hazel lights of his irises.
“I’m not,” Liam said. “If we’re walking into the unknown, there’s something I need to do first.”
He leaned in and kissed her soundly, his calloused hands gentle on her skin, the sweet taste of his lips the most intoxicating nectar she’d ever had in this world or any other. Around her, the air trembled with joy; underneath her feet, the ground shook. When he finally stopped, it took a second before Baba could remember how to breathe.
“What was that for?” she asked, her voice a little ragged.
“Luck,” Liam said, and kissed her one more time.
“Well, we’re going to need plenty of that,” Baba said. And thought to herself: And if we make it back, I’m going to need plenty more of those kisses. Who knew something so simple could be so entrancing? It made the magic she did seem like nothing.
The sound of laughter heralded the arrival of the Riders, and she tried to wipe the giddy smile off her face before she turned around to greet them and say, “Ready to kick some ass, boys?” A wave of her hand easily dissipated the enchanted barrier Maya had used to block off the entrance, and they were on their way.
*
THE INSIDE OF the cave was as black as the bottom of a well; a miniscule slice of light trailed them inside from the slit they’d passed through sideways and contorted. Liam sucked on a gashed knuckle as he peered around in the Stygian darkness.
“Shit,” he said, voice echoing off the walls he couldn’t see. “I’m an idiot.”
Next to him, Baba let out a snort down that long nose he found so entrancing. “Not news to me,” she said. “Any reason in particular you mention it now?”