The Last Oracle Read Online Free Page A

without buttoning it, stepped out of the bathroom. To her surprise, Alex was there sorting through some things on the bureau. He immediately turned to her and his grin expanded into a dazzling smile. She felt immediate relief.
    Then she realized, a minute too late, that her shirt hung open and, although she was covered, it was more revealing than she had ever been with him before. He drew a deep breath as he reached for her and pulled her into him.
    “Love the outfit,” he murmured into her neck, as his arms went around her waist.
    Suddenly, she was pleased with the decision.
    They were interrupted by a knock and a woman’s voice, “Dinner, mum, sir.”  
    She briefly wondered why Toma hadn’t knocked, but at the moment, she was entirely too distracted to care.
    “Let’s stay here,” she whispered into his chest.
    Alex pulled her in tighter and then released a tense laugh. “You know it’s Caleb’s friend’s last dinner with us.”
    “Caleb is 2,000 years old. He doesn’t really need us watching him 24/7.” She kissed his neck and brushed her hands down his chest.
    Alex stepped away from her, but the glow was still in his eyes.
    “So, no game drive tonight, huh?” she asked, keeping the flirtation in her voice as a bulwark against any possible upset. 
    Alex grabbed the open edges of her shirt for a moment, eyeing the uncovered skin across her stomach hungrily; biting his lip, he began to button it as he cocked an eyebrow. “It seems that my presence is required if you are to attend the game drives.”
    “Toma! I knew it! I told him that there was no need to trouble you with it.”
    She was fully aware that her lapse in his “rules” had very nearly cost them her life. In fact, if she hadn’t been so thrilled, she would have been terrified.
    “Oh, Toma was only once source. It seems you are the talk of the camp,” he said, as his eyes focused with amusement on the buttons; finally, he hooked the one above her breasts to cover the temptation. He brushed the side of her face and then shook his head, pushing aside his thoughts of her and their closeness. His eyes became suddenly serious. “Beautiful, you do know that there is a lot of danger here…and not just from the council.”
    “Yes, I’m sorry, Alex, but nothing happened and I wanted Caleb to have a chance to spend more time with Amy. She is such a sweet girl.”
    “ And, his interest in Amy keeps him from falling too far for you.” The single corner of his mouth turned up.
    Yes, Valeria had thought of that. She was the only person in the world that Caleb could touch without wearing his gloves. Mani believed that because Caleb had revived her with his electrical force, something happened so that she was no longer affected by it. Since then, Caleb had developed a major crush on her.
    “By the way, where is Toma?” Valeria asked as she slid on her jeans. Alex continued to watch her as he leaned against the bed.
    “Toma is fine,” he said, distracted by her. “He wanted to go back home to his family in the South.”
    Valeria’s jaw dropped. “Alex, you fired him!”
    Shaking his head, Alex glanced back to her. “No. He quit. Well, actually, it was by mutual agreement whereby Toma accused the guide of placing you in danger and the guide and tracker accused Toma of almost shooting them. I decided it was best if Toma left, and the camp managers agreed…and so did Toma.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said, feeling incredibly guilty and suddenly understanding the closed doors at the main lodge.
    “Don’t worry, I gave him a year’s wages. He left happy…and told me never to call him again.” Alex picked up a cracker from a tray and bit down. “I think you seriously took ten years off the man’s life.”
    Valeria laughed as they walked to the door. But she wondered how Alex could pay all that money to Toma when they were obviously in financial straits.
    The bonfire in the near distance lit the outdoor dining area. Caleb was already there