“I have to help them,” Flynn said urgently. He offered her his hand and threw open the door.
Tina raced after him, barely able to keep up with his powerful legs as they raced out the back door and down toward the beach. When they reached the water’s edge, Flynn released her and waded into the tide. He lifted his hands, the bulging muscles in his biceps tensing as he reached for the brewing storm.
Lightning sparked over his body. His eyes glowed yellow as he focused on the clouds. The advancing tempest slowed, the clouds churning impatiently on the horizon as they reacted to Flynn’s magic.
Tina gaped in awe.
The ships continued to race toward port as Flynn flattened his palms and closed his eyes. A burst of lightning struck the water, and the clouds began to thin. Tuft by dark tuft, they floated away from each other and ambled back out to sea.
When the last black cloud disappeared, Flynn finally lowered his arms, chest heaving as he returned to the beach and collapsed into the sand. He sat along the surf, head in one hand as he fought to regain his breath.
Tina knelt beside him, curling her skirts beneath her as she set a hand on his back. He leaned his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. One hand wound around her waist, pulling her closer as his breathing slowly returned to normal.
“That was a massive storm,” he said softly. “I don’t usually get winded, but I almost couldn’t stop that one.”
Flynn had leaped selflessly into action to help those strangers. If he hadn’t intervened, the storm would have overtaken the ships and sunk many of them. Flynn had saved the lives of men who would never know to thank him.
As he held her close, she ran a hand through his hair. “I’m impressed.”
“I wasn’t trying to show off, or I would have done something that didn’t drain me so much.”
“I know,” she said softly. “That’s what impresses me.”
22
Flynn
Flynn hated to admit it to himself, but Tina was everything he had hoped for and more: kind, intelligent, and feisty. Her beauty was a nice bonus. Her powers would make her more and more coveted as she grew to control them, but it was her compassion made her truly desirable.
At the beginning of the day, he had wondered if perhaps he had stayed around for a contest that he didn’t really want to win. After spending the day with her, however, he rather liked the human Damara had chosen.
They walked through her temple gardens, his phone filled with the pictures from their day. With his arm around her shoulders, he led her over a bridge by a koi pond as the final hours of his time with her ticked away.
He didn’t want it to end, and her hand around his waist suggested she didn’t either. They paused to watch the fish swim through the water beneath the bridge, and Tina let out a soft sigh.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“You really got my hopes up back in the restaurant,” she said.
Flynn rubbed her shoulder, and her chest against his torso sent a soothing ripple of pleasure through him. “About the other, uh, visitors to Olympus?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged, her head against him as she stared down at the fish.
He kissed the top of her head, and the sweet scent of roses wafted up from her hair. “You may be the only one, but that makes you all the more special. Besides, you’re never alone and you will always be safe. Whether you come to Olympus or not, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
She looked up at him, those hazel eyes reeling him in. “You don’t have to pledge yourself to me, Flynn. I don’t know who I’ll choose, and I’d hate for you to make a vow you have to break.”
“I don’t give anyone lip service. If I say it, I mean it.” He spun her around and held both her hands, pulling her near until they were only inches apart.
She smiled and brushed her nose against his. “Thanks.”
Her proximity flipped off the rational switch in his mind. With her this close, he wanted more. From his experience, a woman this powerful shouldn’t be this kind, and yet here she was, a beautiful enigma inches from his face, luring him in.
He closed the final gap between them and pressed his mouth against hers, the kiss slow and sweet. He pulled on her waist, pressing her hips against his body as they both leaned into each other.
She ran her hands through his hair, and her touch warming more and more the longer they explored each other’s mouths. Confused, he peeked through one eye to find her skin glowing, the soft white light pulsing from deep within.
He smiled through the kiss and deepened it. Even if she didn’t choose him, at least he had helped her embrace the new magic in her soul. He would never push his way into her bed, but he knew he stood the best chance of winning if he could show her what life with him would be like in every sense.
23
Tina
On her first day off since the contest began, Tina lay on her bed feeling absolutely smitten.
Smitten by the goddess and the way her body hummed with energy, stronger every day. Smitten by Anthony’s protectiveness, Draven’s raw sexual power, and Flynn’s overwhelming compassion.
Tina pressed her finger against the white ink tattoo on her wrist, and white light shot up the veins in her arm. Where before she had flinched from it, she now smiled at the reminder of the power brewing in her core.
By now, she had expected to already hate one or more of the men in the contest. It would have made sense for anyone used to their level of authority and wealth to be prima donna nightmares, but no one had so much as demanded a thing from her.
Frankly, she was having a blast.
Tina kicked her legs over the edge of the mattress and stood, her bare feet pacing over the hardwood floor as her mind wandered. She sifted through each of the men she had spent time with up to now, mentally tallying pros and cons.
Thus far, the pros list on each far outweighed the cons.
The door swung open, and Ray entered with a wrapped present in her hands. The blue paper had a pink bow elegantly tied at the top. The high priestess carried the gift as though it were a squirming baby she didn’t want to hold and offered the box to Tina.
“From Amy.”
“Thank you. Can you knock next time?”
Without answering, the high priestess pursed her lips and shook the box a bit as if to say take it.
Frowning in annoyance, Tina grabbed the present and sat on the bed, tugging at the pink bow until it unraveled. She ripped open the paper to find the white box for a cell phone Tina had wanted for ages but never had the money to buy.
Usually, she would never have accepted an expensive present like this from her rich friend, since Tina didn’t want Amy to feel like she had to buy Tina’s loyalty. Given the circumstances, however, she couldn’t have been happier to turn it on.
Before she could lift the lid, she noticed all four of the security seals across the edges of the box’s lid had been cut. Tina glared at Ray. “Did you open this present before it came to me?”
Ray clasped her hands in front of her in that annoying, patronizing manner that seemed to be part of her default setting. “It’s for your safety, Tina. I had to ensure the package was safe and actually from Amy.” Without another word, Ray left and shut the door behind her.
Tina shook her head, half of her understanding while the other half fumed from the invasion of privacy. It wouldn’t have surprised her if Ray had really opened the gift in order to add her own bug to the device. Tina tugged the phone out of the box and examined it, even though she didn’t know what a bug or GPS tracker would look like.
Tina turned it on and a welcome screen flashed before her. Amy had already set it up for her, and Amy’s number was the only one in the contacts list. Tina hit dial and waited for a familiar voice to answer.
“She lives!” Amy shouted in greeting.
“Yeah, for the moment.”
Amy snorted. “You’re always so damn morbid. Tell me everything! Have you seen any glorious shifter booty yet?”