If her father had known what she was about to do and what she was about to aid Cole Gray with, James Ward would have been disappointed in his oldest daughter. Recovering the artifacts is important, but there must have been a reason her ancestor buried the artifact all the way out here. None of these facts eased her suspicions. They would have to be extra careful not to piss off The Enchantress—her family’s ancient. There was a reason for everything—only difference is that this one wasn’t clear.
“We’re about to disturb the resting place of one of my ancestors protectors. There isn’t much honor in that.“
They made their way to the hotel which seem partially packed with the usual tourists. What appealed human kind to vacations surrounding the outdoors or nature? She would never know. Give her a five star hotel with either a pool and a beach, and Emma would be a happy person. At his excited inquiries, she couldn’t help but shake her head from side to side as she followed him in the front door.
“Jam your hype adventure boy. At most we may run into an ancient ward or two, but that’s it.”
The enchanter family was known to place charms around a Protector’s tomb if they had been guarding something important for the family. Because of the odd location, Emma had to assume that there was something worthwhile left in the tomb itself. Why else would he be buried in the middle of the woods when her family resided in London, up until her Aunt married an American—or at least that was what she was led to believe.
“Run along then.”
She waved him off clearly hoping for this day to end. Emma wanted to know just what was in the tomb as much as him since she loved a good mystery and adventure. But, the enchanter wasn’t sure she could stomach a whole day with him. There was no guarantee that they would find what they’re looking for tonight and she didn’t want to jeopardize her mission. While it had been several weeks since the attack on her phone, Emma still maintained a few black, blues, and scraps—some of which were still painful to touch. A long hike wasn’t necessarily the best idea in her current condition.
“Gray.”
His name rolled off her tongue like silk, and yet it was clear that the brunette wasn’t pleased with the current predicament. She stood before him with her arms crossed over her chest as she watched him take the single key.
“Explain something to me.”
Emma gave away nothing. The clerk on the other hand went about his business as he clearly wanted to avoid what appeared to be a lover’s quarrel. If she cared to correct him, he would have been put in his place so fast that he wouldn’t have time to blink. While the enchantress was all for expediency and pretenses, she refused to cross the line again. The scene at the bar was enough to send her stomach into flip flops—what had she been thinking then? Of course she wanted him to confide in her, and yet she wanted to maintain her dignity or the illusion of it. She had toed the line then and considered her options—what would really happen when she crossed that line? Would she ever be able to come back? The answer had been clear—avoid any and all complications from now on.
“There’s only one key.”
It was more a statement than a question but the point was made very clear by the way her tone had dropped from amusement to outright suspicion. Her hazel gaze eyed him carefully as he held out the single key they were supposed to share as her brow raised towards the heavens in outright challenge.