Page 28

Zula stepped out of the room where her father was resting and closed the door behind her.

“There you are,” came Neo’s low voice. “Do you have a moment? I want to talk to you.”

She fell into step with him, unable to keep the wistfulness out of her voice. “I haven’t seen you for days. I was wondering when we might speak again.”

Neo’s fingers slid down her arm, sending goosebumps across her flesh as he took her hand. Knots of worry tightened in her lower belly. It was over. The witch vanquished, the trolls appeased, the kingdom and her father safe. Time for them to go their separate ways .

“I want to show you something,” Neo said.

He led her to a private balcony with a view of the hanging gardens, bathed in the orange glow of sunset. Lush green ivy twined around the railings with purple flowers, faces lifted to the light. Nearby, a waterfall poured over a large boulder into a pool, and the air was perfumed with the fragrance of lotus, coconut, and something else. It felt like a fresh beginning.

“It’s beautiful here,” Zula offered, suddenly tongue-tied. She moved to the railing and leaned over it, letting the spray from the water dance across her face.

“You’re the one who is beautiful.” Neo joined her, standing so close their arms touched. His fingers found one of her curls, twining it around his knuckle. The silence between them lingered, stretched, filled with unspoken yearning. “I was thinking about you—more specifically, what to do with you.”

“Me?” Zula asked, trying to keep her tone light, teasing. “Don’t you have much better things to think about? ”

“I don’t.” Neo nudged her. “Especially when the security of the kingdom is at stake. Even though you’re supposedly a reformed thief, I have to keep my eye on you.”

“Fair.” Zula side-eyed him. “How do you propose to keep an eye on me?”

“I want you to work with me.”

Zula laughed. “As a sheriff? What would I be, an associate sheriff?”

“No, no titles.” Neo moved his hand down her back.

A delicious shiver went down her spine, awakening a craving. Without thinking, Zula leaned into him.

“The queen has a task for us. Another job, hunting another relic.”

Zula leaned back to study his face. “Stealing?”

“Not stealing, hunting. Rumor has it there’s a buried treasure, a gift of the gods. Hidden for thousands of years. Its location has been found.”

Her breath caught. “No, it can’t be. The buried harp? ”

Neo raised an eyebrow. “How did you guess?”

Zula’s heart pounded. “I thought it was just a trick from the witch.”

Neo shook his head. “She knew. She always knew how to find the magic.”

“Are we really going after it?”

“Only if you agree, and it’s for the kingdom.”

Zula exhaled as a rush of excitement filled her. Another adventure. Another chase. But this time with a purpose. “Neo, this is the adventure of a lifetime.”

His arms went around her, pulling her close so she was forced to look at him, their lips barely a breath apart. He searched her eyes, voice soft. “It is the adventure of a lifetime.” His lips brushed against her temple. “But I’ve found I don’t much care where we go or what we do, as long as I’m with you.”

Zula sucked in a breath, trying to bring him back to reality. “Neo . . . I don’t think we can be possible.”

He was quiet for a moment. Then his lips brushed against her ear. He pressed a kiss to her jaw .

“No?” he murmured against her skin.

Zula’s body trembled.

Another kiss. Softer, slower.

“How about now?”

Her heartbeat stuttered.

“You’re a prince,” Zula protested.

He pressed a kiss against her collarbone, then moved back up, teeth grazing her skin in a way that made her entire body go weak.

“How about now?” Neo teased.

She tilted her head back as his lips trailed upward—her throat, her cheek, the corner of her mouth. Her fingers curled into his tunic—steadying herself or pulling him closer, she wasn’t sure.

“I think . . . ” Her voice was breathless. “I think we’ll figure it out.”

And then she kissed him, kissed him like she meant it, as though they were two souls always meant to find each other .

Twilight descended over them, the jungle quieting, the air ripe with the glow of magic. A slight splash came from the pool, but neither of them noticed the racoon washing a stolen orange.