Surrender (THE DRAGONFLY CHRONICLES) Read Free Page B

off for safer nesting.
    Jackson leaned against the same rail, his elbow just a small space away from Kailin’s. “Aren’t you worried”—he indicated the shadowed reeds where the croc had yanked a bird into a death roll underneath—“that your owl will make a meal for a croc?”
    “Tuto can take care of himself.” She paused and turned to him so that the wind pushed the stray curls back from her eyes. “He’s as invincible as the pyramids.” She laughed softly as if at some private joke.
    The moonlight reflected in her eyes and revealed the silvery curve of her lips. Jackson hesitated. So the ice princess possessed a sense of humor.
    “Tuto. Greek, for owl?”
    She nodded and turned back to the coursing water. “My father named him when I was a child.”
    “When he found you?” he asked softly.
    Kailin’s face snapped toward him. Not many people knew that her origins were as mysterious as her seclusion, but he made it a point to find out everything he could when starting a project. It seems he’d struck a chord.
    “Yes, Tuto found me and my father,” she purposely misinterpreted. Jackson let it go with a nod. “He’s been with me ever since.”
    “He follows you,” Jackson mentioned, his gaze flickering to the owl’s silhouette against the nearly full moon.
    “Everywhere.” Kailin smiled, momentarily throwing Jackson’s planned conversation off course. Damn, when the woman smiled, it lit her whole face, a perfect porcelain reflection of the moon in the cool dark. She pulled her shawl closer around her shoulders.
    “Anthony mentioned that you are in the same line of work as he, just in Scotland.”
    She nodded and buttoned the wrap up to her chin.
    “So,” he continued, “you know that digging and discovery can be hard, dirty, uncomfortable, even dangerous…for a woman especially.”
    Jackson would have felt triumph in the manipulation of the conversation, but the disappearance of Kailin’s smile soured his victory.
    “Yes, Mr. Black, I am a woman and an archeologist. I understand discomfort and dirt. I think I can manage to get by without my tea and scones while gaining my father’s freedom.”
    “Comfort aside, it will be dangerous.” Jackson studied her. The pert nose, the gently tipped eyes at the far edges, the soft curve of her lips upon one another. So delicate, yet so strong. “The men responsible for taking Anthony will be watching you.”
    Kailin smirked yet didn’t meet his gaze for more than a brief second. “With any luck they will take me to him.”
    Jackson frowned. “And you will just rescue him, like that.” He snapped his fingers.
    Kailin’s eyes found his. She paused long as if contemplating how much she could trust him. “Yes.” He waited, but she didn’t continue. Apparently she could only trust him enough for a one-word answer.
    Jackson grunted. “Perhaps we should retrieve the orb first anyway. Just so they don’t decide to shoot Anthony or you when we show up. These men aren’t playing around. Anthony’s room was ransacked when I found the letter.”
    The thought of rough, greedy men handling Kailin, touching her soft skin, stripping that mask of courage off her face, tightened his gut. He may be a bloody bastard treasure hunter, but he would never let harm come to such lovely strength.
    “Thank you for delivering the message. However, I won’t need your services once we reach Luxor. I will pay you for your escort thus far.”
    Jackson stared in astonishment. She was trying to get rid of him. First of all, ladies didn’t get rid of Jackson Black; he got rid of them. Secondly, it just wasn’t safe for an Englishwoman to travel alone in Egypt, camping outside or digging at a site, even if she wasn’t in jeopardy of being kidnapped by those seeking the powerful orb. Thirdly, her working without him wasn’t part of the plan.
    “The hell you won’t need my services,” he growled. “Even if you weren’t a woman traveling alone in hostile territory,