DaughterofFire (2 page)

Without waiting, Kalama headed toward the main entrance of
the building with a determined stride. The building was a rust-colored,
multi-windowed structure hugging the Kilauea crater. A tiny smirk titled the
corners of her mouth. She bet Pele hated the proximity of the scientists to her
resting place. For the Goddess of Fire it would be tantamount to having
visitors hovering outside your bedroom window. Pele wasn’t big on uninvited
guests.

Stopping for a moment, she waited. Closing her eyes, Kalama
breathed in deep. The faint scent of sulfur and sunshine felt good as it filled
her lungs. A surge of power coursed through her veins. Each step she took
throbbed with one message. It pulsated through the ground and snaked its way up
her body with a delicate hum. Kalama turned her face to the caldera.

“I’m here,” Kalama whispered against the breeze, meant for
only one set of ears. She needed to say the words. Needed to tell the listener
even though her arrival would have been noticed the minute the plane had
touched down in Hilo. Immediately familiar warmth flooded her, pooling around
her heart. A small tear leaked from the corner of her eye. Kalama quickly wiped
it away, a soft smile on her lips.

Shaking her head to clear it, Kalama continued on her path
to the lab. She glanced over her shoulder at Jack. The handsome scientist was
keeping a distance. His eyes seemed focused on something in the distance. She
shook her head in confusion and turned her gaze in the direction that held Jack
captive. A
pueo
flew fast toward them. The owl dipped low and sliced the
air in front of Jack with its flight path. The short-eared bird hovered for a
moment in front of him. He took several steps back, a look of utter
astonishment on his handsome face.

Kalama stopped cold in her tracks. A flash of uneasiness
raced down her spine. The
pueo
was an omen. Jack was in danger.

“Jack, don’t move. Let the bird pass you,” Kalama whispered
on the wind. The owl swiveled its head and turned those yellow-rimmed eyes to
her. Someone was watching and it was more than the
pueo
. A faint salty
odor floated on the breeze. The balance was off, something she hadn’t sensed
before. Seconds ticked by feeling like an eternity, the owl’s eerie eyes never
wavering from her face. With a few final flaps of its wings, the owl flew away,
leaving Kalama shaking and out of breath from fear.

“Hey, what’s the matter? You’re white as a sheet,” Jack
said, coming to stand beside her. He peered down at her face, taking in the
look of fear that was now there.

“It’s nothing. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Tell me. What is it, Kalama? Why are you so scared?” Jack
asked. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Jack pulled her closer to him,
stopping short of nestling her against him. She stiffened at the contact, but
finally relaxed enough to let him try to comfort her.

“It was the owl. In ancient Hawaii, a
pueo
flying in
front of someone’s face meant certain danger. The owl flew straight for you,
Jack.”

“I’m fine. I’m in more danger trudging around these lava
fields than from some owl. It’s just some silly superstition,” Jack said, not
bothering to keep the condescension from his voice.

“To many people it is not some superstition. There are
native Hawaiians out there who still believe in the old ways. You should show a
little more respect.”

“It was only an owl, Kalama. Though, it is strange to see
one up here. I don’t think I’ve seen one on the ridge before, or this close to
the lab.”

“You might be a little more understanding of these things,
Jack. Perhaps your indifference is fueling the thefts I have heard about,”
Kalama said, her anger building slowly.

“It’s nothing sacred or spiritual. Those thefts are some
local kids making trouble and nothing more. Don’t make more out of this then
there really is, Dr. Young,” Jack said, his face growing hard with what looked
like annoyance. But the owl wasn’t nothing to Kalama. She had to find out what
was going on here before someone got hurt.

“I see there is no convincing you to honor my point of view.
Show me the lab, Dr. Jack,” Kalama said.

Jack flashed a wide grin and led her into to low-slung
building. Kalama stared at him in frustration, but followed his lead. A blast
of air-conditioned air hit her full force as they stepped over the threshold.
Kalama ran her palms along her arms, which sported chicken-skin from the rapid
change in climate.

“Do you want to see the pendulums first?” Jack asked,
enjoyment dancing in his deep blue eyes. He was like a kid at Christmas, barely
able to contain his excitement at showing someone his favorite toy. Kalama told
him as much. He threw back his head laughed, the sound rumbling up from his
chest, full-bodied and genuine.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Show me.”

Hours later, Jack went in search of his sexy new assistant.
Kalama was proving to be incredibly skilled at handling the lab, if the neatly
typed report resting on the edge of his desk was any indication. Too bad she
seemed to hiss at him every time Hawaiian culture or myth was brought up. She
wouldn’t give up the idea of the owl being some harbinger of evil.

In an effort to bypass the topic, Jack had spent more time
introducing her around the observatory to some of her co-workers then needed.

The first sight of her curvy body bent over a worktable had
told Jack to put distance between them or he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on
his own tasks. The saucy woman seemed to bewitch the other men of the USGS team
as well. A possessive twinge gripped him when Kalama had smiled sweetly at Paul
Mallard, the intern from UH in Hilo.

Disgusted with himself for feeling jealous of a twenty-two-year-old
kid, Jack had jumped in the Jeep and taken off to the nearest ridge under the
pretense of collecting data. Driving the Chain of Craters road always calmed
him down. The solemn stretch managed to provide solace from his thoughts and
his overactive hormones. When he’d finally gotten himself under control, Jack
headed back to the observatory. He still needed to finish showing Kalama around
and take her to the house that had been secured by USGS for her use. What he
really needed to do was bring her up to speed on the thefts, something that
filled him with dread at each tick of the clock. She would no doubt bring up
the topic of cultural acceptance and respect. He snorted. All he wanted to do
was study the damn volcano, not deal with hocus-pocus and magical mumbo jumbo.

“Nani, have you seen our newest addition?” Jack asked the
woman bent over a medium-sized seismograph in one of the side rooms. Nani
Kealoha Aki looked up from her hunched position, a smile for him on her full
lips. Liquid green eyes held him submerged within their depths when she met his
gaze.

“Sorry, boss. I haven’t. She was gone before I got back from
the Mauna Loa lookout.” Nani had joined Jack’s team a couple of years ago,
eager to study Kilauea. Her mettle had been tested and Jack knew he could rely
on her in the direst of straits. Nani had been out doing field research when
Jack brought Kalama in from Volcano House. Apparently the two still had yet to
make each other’s acquaintance.

“Oh well. Maybe Paul knows. Get anything good today?” Jack
asked.

“The mountain is shaking again, but she’s always shaking. I
heard we had another set of robberies, this time at the Jaggar,” Nani said. The
woman brought herself up straight to her full height of six feet. Jack marveled
once again the woman, so tall and statuesque she was almost out of place in a
lab. Those tumultuous eyes met his full force in a sharp stare once more. A
small frown creased the corners of her mouth.

“Yeah, Sam called this morning before Kalama…I mean Dr.
Young arrived. Luckily we’re only missing a few pieces, but still no theft is
good for the park, especially since some of the offerings on the rim have gone
missing too.”

“It’s too bad about that. The people who place those gifts
at the volcano trust them to reach Pele. They really believe she lives in the
crater. That she cares about them,” Nani said with a disgusted smirk on her
lips and a sarcastic tone in her voice. That was one thing he liked about Nani,
she seemed to share his love of the scientific and scoffed anytime someone
mentioned Pele and the ancient gods.

“Well, I’ll talk to the rangers tomorrow and see if we can
do anything to step up security. I’ve got to go. I still need to find Dr. Young
and get her settled at the house. I’ll see you later, okay?” Jack asked,
heading out of the room in search of Kalama.

“Jack, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with
me tonight?” Nani asked, the request stopping Jack in the doorway. Turning back
to face her, he was at a loss for words. She had never given him any indication
she wanted more than friendship. Nani was beautiful, with a long-limbed grace
that many would find appealing. Her mind was sharp and quick-witted. Yesterday
he wouldn’t have hesitated to accept. But tonight he found his interest in the
woman had waned. Now it seemed his tastes ran toward curvy, petite, dark-eyed
beauties with wicked senses of humor and fiery tempers.

“I still have a bunch of stuff I need to get done tonight.
Maybe some other time? Rain check?” Jack asked, hoping this incident would not
mar their working relationship. He needed Nani’s skills to keep HVO running.

“Sure,” Nani said, her eyes turning dark. The irises churned
with emerald fire, the anger barely concealed in them. “Night, boss. Hope you
find your new friend soon. You know how dangerous it is around here after
dark.” Without anything further Nani swept past him and out the door. Jack felt
a chill course through him. Shaking off his irrational fear, he went in search
of Kalama once more.

* * * * *

The sun was setting along the ridge when Jack located
Kalama. He found her staring out over the Halema’uma’u Overlook. The
observation spot sat directly facing the crater commonly referred to as Pele’s
home. Many people believed the Fire Goddess still resided in the lava-filled
bed. Jack parked the Jeep a short distance from the overlook and decided to
walk the short distance to the crater. Climbing from the Jeep, Jack threw his
cell phone on the seat, not wanting the annoying intrusion. Jack eyed the woman
who had captured his thoughts in such a short time. Kalama’s hands rested on
the metal railing and her face was intense as she stared out over the inky
lava. The smallest sliver of moon sat in the sky. The silvery light caressed
Kalama’s curves, bathing her bronzed skin in a crystalline shimmer. Jack walked
toward her, taking each step with care, not wanting to disturb her. She
appeared so deep in thought, her beautiful features pulled into intense
concentration. Jack stopped a few feet from her when he realized she was talking.

Confused, he looked around, trying to locate anyone else at
the overlook. With a start realized they were alone. Who was she talking to?
Jack took a step closer, ashamed for eavesdropping but his curious nature took
over.

“Tell me what’s happening? I didn’t fly for two days for you
to be coy,” Kalama said, her voice strong with a hint of annoyance. “You said
it was an emergency.”

Jack crept closer, not wanting to miss a word. Perhaps she
was on the phone?

“
Kokami!
Don’t give me that. Tell me what the hell is
going on. If you don’t, I’m on the first plane to the mainland and you can deal
with this situation all by yourself.” Her voice was tight, barely drifting over
the slight breeze. Kalama’s grip on the railing tightened noticeably, her
knuckles turning white with the pressure she was obviously exerting. Even
though it was dark, Jack could tell by the tense nature of her back. Kalama was
angry.

“Kalama, who are you talking to?” Jack asked, finally making
his presence known. Kalama whipped around to face him, her dark eyes blazing
with a red fire. Jack blinked rapidly, convinced he was seeing things. It was
clear by her expression she had assumed she was alone. He noticed no Bluetooth
in her ear.

“Jack, what are you doing here?” Kalama asked, staring at
him with an expression a mix of horror and anger. Her chest heaved with her
rapid breathing. She obviously was worked up about something.

“I was looking for you actually,” Jack said, a smile tugging
at the corner of his lips.

“You found me.” Her eyes blazed with a deep fire. Jack took
a step back from her.

“You’re not going to tell me who you were talking to, are
you?” Jack asked.

“I was just talking to myself. That’s all.” She took a step
toward him. The moonlight flashed on the streaks in her hair, which glowed an
eerie silver in the pale light, creating a halo around her face. Jack furrowed
his brow in confusion. There was an otherworldly quality about her that held
Jack back. In that moment she didn’t seem human. Jack shook his head to clear
the ridiculous thought and crossed the remaining distance between them.

Kalama stared up into his face, their bodies scant inches
from each other. Heat swirled between them. He ran his gaze over the planes of
her face, drinking in her features. Jack let himself linger in the lustful
feelings that being so close to her built in him. Whether by accident or
design, Kalama leaned in, closing the gap between their bodies even more. Her
chest rose and fell, as if she were having trouble catching her breath. He
understood the affliction all too well. He felt as if had run a marathon and
was suffering from a terminal case of lust. Her tongue darted out, wetting the
lushness of her lips—lips Jack desperately wanted to kiss. He didn’t know what
came over him. He was in over his head. Seconds ticked by, silence wrapped
around them, and finally Jack gave in to his body’s demand and lowered his head
to kiss her. Drawing in a shaky breath, he caught the scent of her exotic
fragrance. She smelled of rich, tropical plumeria. The scent skated across his
nerve endings, teasing every one of his senses. His eyelids drifted closed and
his lips inched nearer to hers. The brush of her body was all the permission he
needed. Slanting his mouth against hers, Jack drank in her taste. Soft,
feminine hands slid up his sides and rested on his chest. Jack groaned low in
his throat at her touch. Using the tip of his tongue, he wet the seam of her
mouth, begging for more than just a simple kiss. With a sigh of pleasure, she
parted her lips and sucked his tongue gently into her mouth. Jack wrapped one
hand around her waist and pulled her close. His new assistant was one hell of a
kisser.

Kalama slid her hands up even farther and draped them around
his neck, her fingers toying with the hair resting against his collar. A shiver
ran down his spine. This woman had him tied in knots like no other before her.
With a frustrated groan he pulled away from her, putting a few inches of cool
night air between their heated bodies.

“I’m sorry. I overstepped my bounds. I should have never
kissed you,” Jack whispered apologetically.

“Don’t apologize. I wanted you to kiss me, even though I
shouldn’t have. Besides this isn’t the place for it,” Kalama said. “The night
has too many eyes.”

“Eyes?” Jack asked.

“Come on, Dr. Jack, take me home,” Kalama said with a sigh.