Disclaimer and Notes: in part 1.

Kiss Me Hello, Part Two

Hawaii, 2001
Sunday

The memory faded as Nina drew in a deep breath and rested her chin on her drawn-up knees. Her feet were bare, red-painted toenails peeking out from the sand in which they were buried. She'd pulled her hair into a ponytail, thus revealing more of her face. Thin eyebrows rose over almond-shaped, golden brown eyes separated by a pert nose; a light dusting of freckles dotted her cheeks. Her full lips were currently drawn into a not-quite-frown. The warm Hawaiian sun had little to do with the pale bronze hue of her skin, though it was doing its best to deepen the shade. With the white Capri pants and the red halter top she wore, she looked like a fashionably dressed, sun-worshipping sixteen-year-old, not someone who was a hundred and thirty-three years old. Only a glance at her back revealed that she'd lived a harder life than most, for the skin there was scarred with the faded yet still distinct mark of a whip.

She was tired; it had been a long, turbulent flight from Las Vegas to Waimanalo, a city on the windward side of the Hawaiian main island. Home — in the form of visiting her first teacher Flynn O'Doherty — had seemed like an extremely good idea after all she'd been through the last four days.

Sighing deeply, she thought about how relatively na ve she'd been that long ago night with Xan and Alex. That entire night, she'd never felt as though witnessing the love they had for each other was wrong, never felt as though being able to share in it was something worthy of shame. She refused to believe that it was anything less than natural, pleasurable, and fun. Now, though, the doubts were like thunderclouds over her heart.

Oh, Greg, she sighed mentally, why did you have to make me feel this way? I'm so confused. I thought what we had was good enough. I thought I could keep you from finding out. I thought keeping you out of my heart was going to be easier than this.

Exhaling heavily, she leaned more on her crossed arms. Looking out at the water, she found herself wishing she could turn back the clock, just for once, and erase the past. Even as she thought that, a new smell rose above those of the ocean, sending her reflexes on alert as the odor warned her of another immortal.

The heather- and Irish moss-laden scent was a familiar one. Relaxing slightly, she turned her head and looked over her right shoulder to find an auburn-haired Irishman walking towards her. He had the compact, muscular build of the circus acrobat she'd first known him to be. Today his attire was a T-shirt emblazoned with “E=mc² – A.E.” and a pair of faded jean shorts that hugged his lithe form and showed off his muscular calves. She smiled, recognizing Flynn.

“You planning to brood all afternoon?” he asked her. His voice held only a hint of the strong brogue she'd first known him to have.

“I'm not brooding,” she denied, though that was exactly what she'd been doing. “I'm enjoying your bit of beach here.”

“You flew all the way out here just to come to my beach?”

She rose to her feet now, shrugging shoulders too broad to be considered feminine. “Why not?” she challenged as traces of a wider smile tugged on her lips. “If you're going to sanctify a beach in honor of the Hawaiian god of the sea, you ought to expect that someone's going to come and pray.”

Flynn's green eyes narrowed. “The only religion you've ever practiced was the temple of pleasing yourself,” he pointed out. “Amanda taught you that one too well.”

Nina heard the worry underlying Flynn's sarcastic observations. Closing the distance between them, she hugged him, marveling as she always did that he was only as tall as her own five feet five inches. No matter how many times she saw him, she pictured him as being taller, especially since his antics were the ones that often caused her the most trouble. “As if you didn't teach me that right along with her?” she chided him now. “You might've been the first to explain to me why I survived a magician's trick gone wrong, but I distinctly remember both of you standing there in the performers' quarters that day.”

Flynn hugged her back, lingering a moment before he released her. “Januz shouldn't have been trying to mix throwing knives and magic when he was drunk,” he growled, and Nina chuckled at the old complaint.

“When wasn't Januz drunk?” she asked practically. “The man was a walking bottle of vodka.” So saying, she linked her arm around Flynn's and they began walking to his house. Mimicking a thick Albanian accent, she quoted, “'Today is a good day to drink to life.'” She laughed softly at the memory; she'd never harbored ill will towards Januz for what amounted to an accident. “Never saw a man more ready to toast anything.”

“True,” Flynn agreed. “He managed to annoy me enough that I wanted to shove him at the fire-eater we had once.”

Aware of her teacher's penchant for practical jokes, Nina looked at him. “I'm surprised you didn't set something up to scare him.”

“I wanted to,” Flynn admitted casually. “Amanda talked me out of it, reminded me that Januz wouldn't heal like we do.” He said nothing more as they crossed the short distance to the rear deck of his house. Once inside, he moved to the kitchen and poured her a glass of water from a pitcher he extracted from the refrigerator. The unexpected drink was both an acknowledgement of how long he'd known she was out there and a reprimand for the length of time she'd been out there. Dehydration was still a risk for an immortal. Nina accepted the glass with a grateful smile as her slight nod recognized the silent scolding. She then took a long drink as she slid onto the stool at the breakfast bar.

“Now,” the Irish immortal declared practically, setting the pitcher on the counter as he took a seat on the stool beside Nina, “tell me who's mad at me this week.”

Chuckling, Nina set her glass down. “Nearly everyone who's ever met you, as if you didn't know that already,” she informed him dryly. “Most days I pretend you and I have never met. I was at a conference three years ago and ended up taking Keith Moon's head because you pulled a practical joke on him.”

“He was always an arrogant bastard,” Flynn remarked. “Never could take a joke.” He studied his student a moment, seeing the traces of worry and exhaustion in her eyes. “Who was it this time?”

Nina shook her head. “I haven't answered a challenge since then. Come on, Flynn, I've been living in a hotel on the Strip in Vegas. Most of us know better than to want to risk the damage and exposure a Quickening might do to the Strip.”

Ever the irrepressible scamp, Flynn mulled over the idea. “Might be worth it once,” he commented with a smile. “Someone might walk away with a million dollars if all the slot machines went haywire at the same time.”

Narrowing her eyes, Nina paused in the midst of going to take another sip of water, her hand stopping a moment before the glass touched her lips. “Don't tell me you and Amanda have planned it out,” she groaned. “I do not want to know.”

“My favorite co-student moves to Las Vegas and expects me not to contemplate how I might profit from this?”

Nina rolled her eyes and finally took the drink of water. “I'm your *only* co-student, Flynn. Don't give me that. If you and Amanda hadn't been lovers, and if you hadn't had to leave town unexpectedly three years into training me, you wouldn't even have a co-student.”

She took a moment to study the face of one of the few men she trusted beyond words. Perhaps better than most, she understood Flynn wasn't all comedy and practical jokes. Like many of the immortals Nina knew, he was one of the older ones; his first teacher had found him in Galway, Ireland in 420 A.D. A complex man, as comfortable working as a quietly renowned physicist and part-time university professor as he was on the high wire, Flynn was thoroughly dangerous when provoked. As his student, she'd more than once been the culprit who'd unleashed that Irish temper. Nina loved him as a father and a friend, even if she often served as a surrogate target when one of the victims of his jokes wanted vengeance. Now she could see that his face held concern for her unexpected appearance. She sighed, knowing she'd delayed this conversation long enough.

“It's been a bad week,” Nina admitted. “They closed the hotel with no notice to anyone and I'm out of both a job and a place to live. Apparently, the owners of the hotel failed to pay back taxes, and the IRS seized it, forcing us to shut down.”

“So when is the rest of your stuff arriving? I saw you'd put two suitcases in the guest bedroom.”

“It's not,” she told him, and saw the relieved sigh shudder through his body. Chuckling, she added, “I know you. You can handle a guest for a night or two, but your life doesn't have room for anything longer than that. I heard from Amanda you're working on some top-secret projects.”

“How'd she find out…. Well, she always did have her sources.” Flynn favored Nina with a rueful smile. “Sorry, but it's true. I'd love to have you stay, but they'd probably start running background checks on you.”

“It's okay,” she assured him. “It's not the first job I've ever lost through no fault of my own. I just….” She favored him with a sad smile. “I really enjoyed it, and I've an offer from one of the other hotels to run their stage show.”

“So why aren't you there now?”

Nina took a deep breath. “Because the person who's asking wants more than just me working for him.”

His eyes swept over her in a critical assessment that seemed to penetrate to her soul. She held herself still, knowing he'd see too much no matter what she did to conceal it; he'd helped teach her how to hide her feelings. “Let me guess. He's in love with you, and you're falling in love with him.”

With an exasperated sigh, Nina stood and began pacing the small kitchen. “Damn it, I don't want to be. If he was one of us, I might be able to stand it. Quite honestly, immortals have always been easier for me than mortals; I never had to explain anything then. I thought I was doing well by not getting too involved with anyone, immortal or not. No strings, no commitments, no promises, and no unnecessary lies. I thought I had it all worked out. Greg…crept under my radar.”

“Damned sneaky of him,” Flynn said. “I like him already.”

That stopped Nina's pacing as she turned and leveled a look at the other man. “You would,” she acknowledged with a rueful smile. “He wanted to be a comedian, but his jokes…they're funny, but he can't deliver them right, so they're not as funny as they ought to be.” Sliding onto the stool again, she finished the glass of water and poured herself another one from the pitcher Flynn had left on the counter. “He thinks I'm Reina Sanchez, that I'm twenty-five, originally from Phoenix, and I ran away from home to become a showgirl. He doesn't even know my real name, but he swears he's in love with me.” Her hands clenched into half fists of frustration, underscoring her words.

Flynn studied her thoughtfully. “You're sure he's serious. How do you feel about him? Other,” he added dryly, “than frightened enough to fly out here to have someplace secure to think.”

Nina sighed. “I thought I knew. Then Xan and Alex showed up.”

Three days earlier

The Grand Illusion

Las Vegas, Nevada

As the executive director of entertainment for the magic-themed hotel, Nina spent most of her work hours ensuring that the hotel's entertainment options were the best they could be. She also supervised the senior talent coordinator for the hotel, thus serving as the final authority on acts that would appear on the hotel's two stages. Though she'd made a living performing in the circus and on various stages across the world on more than one occasion, she'd decided against having her name in marquee lights for this particular identity. Since her normal workday didn't start until two p.m., she had time to eat brunch and wander through the casino, seeing who would comprise the evening crowd at the shows.

Nina never ceased to be amazed by the sheer mix of humanity that filled into the casino. She remembered when Las Vegas wasn't a city of neon lights, spinning roulette wheels, or even the more recent transformation to a place of grand spectacles of family-oriented entertainment. Quite simply, Nina loved its modern persona, not in the least for the fact that it turned one section of the city into a place too conspicuous for a swordfight. Though she wasn't interested in the Prize, Nina had met more than her share of immortals who had been. She'd learned a long time ago how to play the Game, and she didn't back down from a fight she felt she could win. Still, she liked knowing that she lived in a relatively neutral zone; it made for an interesting life as various immortals passed through the Strip.

This particular day, she was running late, thanks to an unscheduled (but not unwelcome) lunch with Amanda that had turned into a shopping trip in the Strip's newest shopping mall. As Amanda had explained, she'd been on her way to Seacouver (no doubt, Nina thought, to visit one of their friends who lived there), and thought she'd stop by and say hello since her flight had been routed through Las Vegas. As always, Nina had enjoyed her former teacher's company. Now, however, Nina swore at the elevators of the hotel, wishing they were faster so she could get to her suite and change out of the denim mini-dress she'd worn to meet Amanda and into something more professional, as was required by the corporate dress code. She'd taken advantage of the mall's concierge services and arranged for her purchases to be delivered to the Grand Illusion, and a few words with the front desk staff had ensured that the bags would be delivered to her suite.

Nina was almost tempted to take the stairs; she usually used them as part of her workout routine since she'd negotiated a suite in the hotel as part of her total compensation. As a result, she knew how long it would take her to ascend forty flights of stairs, and knew that if she did that, she'd have to take a shower and then she would definitely be late. Though Mahila, her assistant, had proved herself capable of handling almost any emergency, Nina preferred not to let things get to that point.

At last, the elevator opened, disgorging a tide of passengers. Plastering a smile on her lips for the benefit of the guests, Nina waited impatiently until the elevator was empty before stepping into it. Quickly, she pressed the button for her floor, and then hit the 'door close' button. To her immense relief, no one attempted to bodily stop the elevator doors from closing as so often happened, and she was able to continue up to her room without further delay. Just before she rounded the corner to her suite, she registered an immortal presence, filled with the scent of the Mediterranean Sea in sunlight, tempered by musk and something old that she'd never been able to identify.

Even as her mind screamed with joy and recognition, she cautioned herself to be calm. Just because she remembered the scent as belonging to one of her favorite lovers didn't mean that the immortal waiting for her was exactly who she thought he was. She'd been wrong once before, mistaking another Greek immortal for Xan. The resulting experience had been awkward to say the least. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the tote bag containing her sword more firmly and walked towards the source of the scent. To her relief and dismay, she wasn't wrong.

Oh, Fate, what did I do to get temptation times two? she wondered. Wasn't sending Amanda my way enough? You know I'd go help her steal anything in a heartbeat, and she was flirting so shamelessly with me, I almost said yes.

But the Greeks who stole half my heart a century ago? I don't need this, not right now. Not when I'm so close to getting a dream fulfilled. Being with them is an addiction I can't afford to indulge in… but I'm not sure if I can resist.

Or if you want to, a small voice in her head whispered.

Drawing a deep breath, Nina shoved her fears away. The only way to deal with any given situation, in her opinion, was to face it head-on and smiling. The fact that butterflies were doing acrobatic flips in her stomach was merely a distraction, not a cause for concern.

Xan lounged against her door, but as soon as she came within sight, he stepped away from the door and met her halfway. Drawing her into a hug, he kissed her before she could speak. Reflexively, her hand came up between them, pushing him back before he could deepen the kiss. “Hello, Nina,” he greeted when he released her. His tone held a question she wasn't ready to answer yet.

“Hello, Xan.” Deliberately, she kept her greeting restrained. “Where's Alex?”

“He's waiting for you in your office.”

“Then why don't you wait down there?” she asked sweetly. From the outside pocket of the leather tote, she pulled out the plastic keycard to her suite and swiped it across the lock, then pushed the door open. “I'm late enough as it is.” Neatly, she stepped across the threshold and into her room, then shut the door behind her before Xan could enter.

The door safely between them, Nina exhaled slowly, willing the flash of desire that Xan had ignited to settle. She needed every ounce of willpower to resist the temptation that he meant to her and would need even more when she saw Alex. It had been three years since she'd last seen them, and it had been a memorable week in many ways. She'd looked forward to seeing them again, but hadn't expected to be in the situation that she was in now when their paths crossed again.

Breathing deeply, she reminded herself that Xan and Alex had been more than understanding in the past when she'd left them behind without warning. They would understand when she told them about Greg… but maybe she could get rid of them before Greg met her for dinner, and she wouldn't have to explain anything. Blithely, she ignored the possible problems with that course of action. Deciding that would be her plan, she went to change clothes.

Ten minutes later, she wasn't too surprised to find Xan still waiting outside her door. He took in her attire – a navy pinstripe suit with a short skirt, which she'd accessorized with gold jewelry, sheer hosiery, and a pair of navy flats – and raised an eyebrow. “You look very professional,” he complimented her. His tone conveyed his amusement at her attempt to dodge temptation.

Wryly, she informed him, “That's the point.” To keep him from asking questions about her, she took hold of the conversation as they headed for the elevator. “I would've been in my office sooner, but Amanda was in town and we had lunch.”

“Was she here long?” Xan inquired.

“Long enough to enjoy herself,” Nina replied as she depressed the 'down' button for the elevator; the administrative offices were on the first floor of the hotel. They were in luck; one of the elevators opened promptly, and both immortals stepped inside the unit. After depressing the correct button for the first floor, Nina turned to face Xan. She was careful to keep a distance away from him, not wanting to be too close. “Don't worry, Xan; Amanda has never taken more than anyone can afford to lose.”

“It's not her I'm concerned about,” came the calm reply. “She has a way of getting other people in trouble.”

Nina smiled. “It wouldn't be the first time. I once went to jail because she let go of the rope we were using to get into a museum. She got away with Marie Antoinette's tiara; I got stuck with the charge of theft.” Chuckling, she added, “Who did you think taught me how to be trouble?” That brought groans from her lover. Taking pity on him, she changed the subject.

“What brings you and Alex to see me?”

“We missed you,” he admitted simply. “Connor hadn't heard from you since you accepted his Christmas party invitation two years ago and then didn't show up, and since we were headed back to Sacramento, we thought you might enjoy spending some time with us. He was worried about you, as we've been, especially when we heard you'd taken a challenge at the airport.”

Nina's smile faded. “I'm sorry,” she apologized sincerely. “I… couldn't face anyone after that.” The memory of that particular Quickening made her shudder; she'd felt poisoned for days afterwards. Instinctively, Xan reached for her, but she shook her head, refusing the contact, then stepping out of reach to be sure he wouldn't attempt to hold her anyway. Closing her eyes briefly, she took a deep breath. “Being in a roomful of immortals was the last thing I wanted to do, especially since Connor had declared a truce. I figured it was better if I went home.”

“You scared a lot of people, Nina,” the Greek immortal admonished her. “From what I heard, it looked like Jade had won the fight, but no one was sure because no one could find the body.”

“I used her credit card and claimed I was her adopted daughter,” Nina admitted. “It was easy enough to get another ticket using that, and far easier to dump her body where no one would find it.” She paused. “I've always hated her guts. She's always wanted to be Amanda, but she never could do it well enough, and she's always hated the fact that I refused to train with her.” Nina shrugged. “I didn't see the point in giving her any pointers on my teacher's techniques.” She paused, and then decided to explain herself further. “Taking her Quickening was as though I'd swallowed a bottle of bitterness and frustration.”

“You should've called, let someone know.”

Shaking off the memory, touched by Xan's concern, Nina smiled as her natural good humor reasserted itself. “I did,” she informed him. “I told Amanda.”

That drew an exasperated sound from her companion, and she chuckled. Impulsively, she closed the distance between them and hugged him. “I'm sorry I worried you, but I thought she told you, and then when I didn't hear from you, I figured you were busy.”

The elevator doors opened then, and she proceeded to lead the way to her office, where she found Alex charming Mahila, her assistant.

Apparently in the midst of telling Mahila some outrageous tale, Alex halted in mid-sentence as Nina and Xan entered the medium-sized, richly furnished office. His smile widened instantly. Before Nina could speak, Alex captured her in a warm hug before kissing her as thoroughly as Xan had intended to do. It was only when she registered the reed-thin Pakistani woman's sigh of envy that Nina came to her senses and broke the embrace.

“It's good to see you,” Alex told her, smiling.

“So I gathered,” she noted. “I see you've already met Mahila.”

“Actually, Ms. Sanchez, “ Mahila put in respectfully, her diction clear but her voice still betraying her Pakistani roots, “I've met both Mr. Morgan and Mr. Daniels. They've been waiting for you for the last half-hour; Mr. Morgan thought he might find you sooner at your room. I tried calling you on your cellular phone, but then I found it in your office.”

“Damn, I knew I left it somewhere. Thanks, Mahila.” She turned to her guests. “Now that you both know that I'm all right, would you please go? I have work to do.”

“We don't get the backstage tour?” Alex pretended to pout, but the curls over his eyes couldn't hide the laughter in them.

“I can arrange that,” Nina told him. “You'll have to do without my company, though; I have to work on a few things before I'll be free.” She turned to her assistant. “Would you please make sure that they get a tour backstage, tickets to tonight's show and front row seats?”

“Of course, Ms. Sanchez.” Taking her cue, she picked up a thin red folder from her desk as she stood and handed it to Nina. “These need your signature, and you have an appointment with Mr. Torinson in half an hour. Mr. Gargorlio called; he'll meet you downstairs at The Golden Key at nine-thirty rather than nine as you had scheduled. Also,” and here Mahila handed her a sheaf of messages, “here are all the calls you need to return before five o'clock.”

“Thank you, Mahila. Now, if you'll excuse me?” Grateful for the excuse, and unwilling to wait for a reply, she disappeared into her office and shut the door.

“So,” Alex began, “is she free for dinner?”

“Oh no, Mr. Gargorlio always takes her to dinner on Thursdays,” Mahila volunteered as she picked up a padfolio from her desk and then began steering them towards the elevator. “He is very much in love with her.” The slender, black-haired woman glanced back at the two men. “If I hadn't seen the look on Ms. Sanchez's face after you kissed her, I would've sworn that she was in love with him too, but now I'm sure she's not.”

Xan and Alex exchanged looks. “Perhaps we came at a bad time,” Alex remarked.

Mahila chuckled as they neared the elevator. “Nonsense,” she assured him. “I've been working for Ms. Sanchez for almost two years now, and she has never been in a serious relationship. If the man wants wedding bells, whoosh! Out the door he goes. I think Mr. Gargorlio may be pressing her too hard. You look like just the antidote she needs.”

Xan muttered quietly, “Or the kick in the pants.” The two men glanced at each other, trading thoughts and opinions with that single quick look.

Alex nodded and set to work charming Mahila for all the information they could talk her out of. As far as he was concerned, they needed to know a few things…and he didn't think Nina was going to want to discuss it. He knew her well enough to recognize her talent in dodging questions she didn't want to answer.

By the time Mahila left them, Alex and Xan knew more about Mr. Gargorlio. According to Mahila, Greg Gargorlio was twenty-nine, a second-generation Irish-Italian, and the manager of entertainment at La France, a competing hotel a block north on the Strip. He'd worked at The Grand Illusion as the talent coordinator the year previously before being lured away with a promotion. In Mahila's words, Mr. Gargorlio was a “fun-loving gentleman who was a pleasure to work with, and everyone was sorry to see him go.”

From Mahila, the two Greeks also learned that Nina's job was a very demanding one. Every facet of the hotel's entertainment options – from the shows that were staged to the casinos to the music that was played in the elevators– came under her responsibility. Reporting directly to the hotel's general manager of operations, Nina had been solely responsible for booking some of the hottest talent in the country to appear on the Grand Illusion's stages. To hear Mahila tell it, Nina was the reason for the success of the hotel. It was clear to Xan and Alex that Mahila was very loyal to her boss, and admired her for being a career-focused woman.

On the surface, it appeared as though Nina was happy. Yet the two men had known Nina for far too many years to not know when something was bothering her. It wasn't like her to act like this – laugh with and at them, dance and flirt with them, make mad passionate love with them with barely a kiss goodbye when she slipped out the door, certainly – but not push them away. The promise Mahila extracted from them that they'd show up for dinner was an easy one to make. They were worried, and they wanted to assess this Gargorlio for themselves.

Impatiently, Greg checked his watch; he knew that Reina usually called her workday over at nine, and that Mahila would have delivered the message for Reina to meet him at nine-thirty. It wasn't like Reina to be late. Then he remembered that the bartender on duty was someone Reina liked, and decided to see if Reina had been ensnared in conversation. It wouldn't be the first time she'd gotten caught up in something like that, though it was more likely that she'd lost track of time while working on a project. He worried about her working so hard; it almost seemed at times as though she had something to prove to someone. Silently, he hoped that she wasn't in one of those moods; seeing her like that only made him want to shield her from whatever demons were causing her to feel so unworthy. Abandoning his seat at a table, Greg went in search of his fianc e.

Pushing her chair back, Nina breathed a sigh of relief that she'd managed to stay abreast of the endless paperwork associated with her position. Bidding Mahila goodnight, Nina headed for her room to freshen up for her dinner date.

As she'd half-anticipated, Xan and Alex were waiting for her. Some part of her wished she could just plead exhaustion, but the lie didn't sit well with her conscience, so she bit back the impulse. “Did you enjoy the show?” she asked as the two men trailed her into her suite.

“First time I've seen a goat disappear like that,” Alex remarked.

“That's not what I heard,” Nina interjected, unable to resist baiting them. It was purely a wild shot in the dark; she knew they were each at least a thousand years old, if not more, and the older immortals tended to have some odd stories involving all sorts of things.

To her surprise, both men looked slightly uncomfortable. “It wasn't our fault,” Xan protested.

“Oh, really?” Nina prompted as she slipped off the jacket of her suit and hung it up, which left her attired in an off-white silk blouse and a short navy skirt. “So whose fault was it?”

“Constantine,” Alex responded promptly. “He's the one who insisted the commander wanted fresh milk.”

“The commander?” Easily, Nina feigned knowledge she didn't have, working off educated guesses about the immortals involved. “I thought Constantine was the one in charge?”

“Oh, he was in charge all right.” Annoyance, never forgotten, showed through Alex's tone. “And Marcus always did have a gift for knowing what would win friends and influence officers.”

Nina considered the words and the tone a moment as she contemplated changing her outfit. A glance at her watch told her she had fifteen minutes to get downstairs to The Golden Key. “I've never met him,” she commented, “but I know Amanda has. She said he was a Roman general?”

Xan nodded. “We were in a post on the outskirts of Londinium, and Marcus was trying to curry some favor with the commander. We just wanted to let our identities fade out, but—”

“He got us drunk,” Alex admitted. “Next thing I remember is we had a goat in the barracks.”

“A billy goat,” the other Greek immortal clarified. “We'd grabbed the wrong one.”

“So what happened?” Having decided that what she wore would be sufficient for dinner, she took a seat on the side chair opposite the couch upon which her sometime lovers lounged. “You go dancing naked in the courtyard with the goat or what?”

A quick look was exchanged between Xan and Alex. Clearly stalling, Xan asked, “Did we tell you about Connor's new student?”

“No, you haven't,” came the amused reply. “And you can tell me about him or her later.”

“Her,” Alex quickly interjected. “Sharra.”

“Lovely name,” Nina remarked. “But you're not weaseling out of this one.”

“You'd like her,” Xan added, trying to support his lover.

“I like most everyone,” Nina retorted. “It's Flynn everyone wants to strangle, not me. Now, tell me about the goat, or I'll let Amanda and Flynn know about the practical joke you played on them.”

“You wouldn't,” Alex began, and then remembered to whom he was speaking. “You would,” he corrected himself, groaning. “That was our secret. You'd incriminate yourself if you said anything.”

Nina laughed at the expression on his face. “I promise I won't tell anyone,” she coaxed. “I'll even pay a forfeit of a kiss in advance as insurance.”

“Well,” Xan said thoughtfully as he stood and pulled Nina to her feet, “that's the best offer I've had all day. Especially if I get to hear just what Alex did, since I obviously wasn't there to participate.”

“Hey!” Alex protested as Xan took advantage of his position to kiss Nina with slow thoroughness, as if he was trying to make up for the kiss she'd cut short earlier, causing her to tremble slightly. Alex rose, and, trapped Nina between him and his lover, declaring, “You aren't playing fair.”

Laughing softly, Nina broke the kiss and turned around to face Alex as Xan's arms slid down her body to encircle her waist in a gently possessive way. “I play as fair as the next guy,” she informed him before pressing her lips against his. She meant to keep it light, but Alex knew what he wanted, and being this close to him and Xan was a heady mix that triggered all her buttons. His kiss sang through her veins, reminding her of all the times he'd touched her like this. Some part of her was shocked at her own eager response to the touch of his lips and the feel of Xan against her back. A small mental voice bleated danger, but she ignored it easily as her desire for both men grew.

Through a fog of passion-induced heat, she heard the door click open, but didn't stop kissing Alex. Kissing him was an addiction she'd been too long without, and the rest of the world didn't matter. Forgotten for the moment were all the reasons why she shouldn't be kissing him like this. Dimly, she heard a male voice ask, “Reina?”

It took her a moment to react to the assumed identity, but Alex was a second faster, ending the kiss. Whimpering, she started to reach for Alex again, only to feel Xan squeeze her warningly. Startled, she nearly backed into the blond, who steadied her and turned her in the direction of the entrance. Her heart plummeted as she realized who stood at the threshold, one hand bracing the heavy, self-locking door, a plastic access key in the other.

Dressed in a pair of gray casual dress pants, a white dress shirt and a gray patterned tie was the one man Nina hoped would never find her in the arms of another. He had a diamond-shaped face, a straight nose, thick eyebrows, a mustache, broad shoulders, and bore a passing resemblance to a B-list actor. His small, hazel green eyes took in the sight of Xan as he held her and Alex, then considered the two men before settling on Nina. A faint voice in Nina's head reminded her that her lips were still swollen from kissing, and that there'd be no mistaking the intimacy of the embrace.

As though someone else was speaking, she heard herself ask, “Greg?”

“Reina?” Greg asked again in a voice that said he didn't want to believe what he'd seen, but the shock and anger on his face told her that he was fighting for calm. “Who are these people?”

Unconsciously, Nina lifted her chin. “My friends, Alex Daniels and Xan Morgan. Alex, Xan, this is Greg Gargorlio.”

The men shook hands with measured politeness, as the room seemed to frost with Greg's unspoken anger. “If you'll excuse us, gentlemen,” Greg said tightly, “I believe I have a few things I'd like to discuss with my fianc e.” The emphasis on the relationship was not lost on anyone.

“She has no secrets from us,” Xan countered.

“That might be,” Greg allowed. “But I would prefer if you left right now.”

“Please,” Nina pleaded. Switching to Albanian, a language she'd learned from the magician who'd caused her first death, she added, “Let me handle this, and I promise I'll talk to you later.” Lightly, she went on, “You still owe me the rest of that goat story.”

“Have you told him everything?” Alex wondered, answering her in the same language.

“Not yet,” she replied, her face flushing at the implication that she should have told Greg something. “Now go, before I have to explain more than I already do.”

Reluctantly, two Greeks left, but Nina didn't dare look at them, so she missed the reassuring, supportive glances they sent her way. Instinctively, she knew she had to figure out some way of extricating herself from this situation, and she didn't want to make things any worse than they already were. In that moment, she damned herself for not exerting more willpower over the familiar attraction she felt for the two Greeks.

Greg was getting too close. You wanted him to leave, a small voice in her head reminded her smugly. You don't want to give him your heart, knowing you give it to him with strings attached.

Staring at him now, though, Nina couldn't force herself to agree with the old, protective instinct.

“I didn't know you spoke another language,” Greg said accusingly once the door had shut behind Alex and Xan.

“Albanian, French, Navajo, and Spanish,” Nina informed him. Long practice at controlling her emotions in preparation for the Game kept her voice calm, but she could feel her palms sweating and her knees begin to tremble. “And the subject never came up.” Though she hated to concede any ground, especially since sitting would make their heights even more uneven than they usually were, Nina wasn't sure if she could remain standing. As casually as she could, she sat down on the couch.

“So, when were you going to tell me your old boyfriends were in town? Or were you hoping to hide them in the closet?”

The image of squeezing Alex and Xan into the miniscule closet struck Nina as funny, and she bit back the urge to laugh. “I wasn't planning to hide them. They surprised me. And for the record, I haven't said yes to your proposal yet.”

“Oh, so you were going to sow your wild oats and hope you didn't get caught?” His voice conveyed contempt as he closed the distance between them. “What the hell were you thinking, Reina? That I'd just wait quietly downstairs and not look for you when you were late?”

“Whom I sleep with is my business,” Nina retorted, rising to her feet to stand before him as anger singed the corners of her control. “I had a life before I met you, and I'll keep on having one whether or not you're in it.”

“Are you saying I'm not enough for you? That you had to go find a pair of porno stars to fulfill some deranged fantasy?” His lips thinned with anger as he crossed his arms and waited for an answer.

Now Nina laughed until tears started rolling down her cheeks. “Alex and Xan have been a lot of things,” she said through her laughter, “but porno stars? I doubt it.” Then the rest of Greg's words registered, and her amusement died as she regarded him with searching gravity. “And it's not a deranged fantasy to love more than one person at a time.” She stared at him, hating the prejudice he was showing, hating the way she could almost swear she could hear her heart shattering at the evidence of a mind closed to possibilities. She'd hoped he'd be more open than this, but it appeared she'd been sadly mistaken. “It's a reality I've lived more times than you have a right to know.”

“Damn it, Reina,” Greg exploded. “I thought we had an understanding. You're mine, and I don't share.” His distrust chilled his hazel green eyes with reserve.

“I'm no one's property,” she shot back. “My father tried to beat me into thinking I was his, to starve or slave as he chose; he might've scarred me for life, but he never owned me. I'm not about to let you start.”

“Don't twist what I say.” Frustrated, Greg ran a hand through his stylishly layered, in-need-of-cutting, brownish-black hair. Clearly struggling for calm, he took a deep breath. “I only meant that I thought you and I weren't seeing anyone else.”

“I'm not, but even so, I've never promised you exclusivity,” Nina stated coldly, enunciating every syllable, as old self-preservation habits resurrected themselves and began to weave protective walls around her breaking heart. “I've never promised anyone that, not even Alex and Xan. I've never had to. Either you trust that I'll be faithful while I'm with you or you don't.”

“I'm supposed to just accept that you won't cheat on me?”

“How am I to know that you won't, other than to take you at your word?” she retorted.

He started to argue the point, then, clearly failing to come up with a suitable counterargument, gestured in frustration. “So, what the hell did that kiss mean?”

“In the grand scheme of things?” Deliberately, she shrugged. “Nothing.”

“Sure as hell looked like it meant something to me.”

Nina tilted her head and looked at Greg searchingly. “Alex and Xan are old lovers; I won't deny that, but they're not in love with me. I wouldn't put those kinds of chains on them even if I was in love with them.”

“Is that why you won't marry me? You want the freedom to be with whomever you want, whenever you want?” Greg lashed out. “That's not the woman I thought I knew. I thought you wanted one person, someone you could grow old with and be happy.”

“I do,” Nina snapped. “That hasn't changed.”

“Then why were you kissing another man if you didn't love him?” Now, Greg sounded more bewildered and hurt than angry.

“I don't have to explain myself to you. You don't know me as well as you think.”

“Oh, I think you owe me some explanation. You're my fianc e, and I know you better than you think I do.”

“That's where you're wrong. I haven't said yes yet, and at the rate this is going, I don't think I will.” A small voice in her head warned her she might be burning her bridges, but she ignored it as she usually did. Telling herself it was better she broke her own heart now than let Greg shatter it more later, Nina pulled the door open. Her voice held only cold anger as she declared, “Now, I suggest you leave before I call Security to have you removed. You can leave your key with the front desk.”

Greg stared at her. “Fine,” he bit off. “You want to live like a slut, go right on ahead. See if I care.” He stomped out of the room, and Nina let the door shut behind him.

Drawing a deep breath against the pain of his leaving, Nina closed her eyes. She had gotten what she wanted, so why did she feel like crying?

Nina woke abruptly the next morning to the scent of immortal presence. With a startled jerk, she tumbled onto the floor as the cushions of the couch gave way. The impact only served to remind her that she hadn't slept well at all. What little she'd slept had been filled with twisted dreams. Moving on automatic pilot, she rolled to her feet, grabbed her sword from the bag on the inside of the door, and called out, “Go away.”

“We're not leaving until you talk to us,” Xan responded.

Alex added calmly, “And we're going to stand outside the door and talk to you until you let us in or Security comes to see what all the noise is. It's entirely up to you, Nina.”

For a full minute, Nina hesitated. Though she could count the number of people she trusted enough to call friend on one hand, she'd learned early to keep her distance and her private life private. It wasn't easy for her to abandon the habits of a lifetime and let someone in on her problems, even if that someone was one of her oldest and closest friends.

“We're not going away,” Alex repeated. “Now, if you want the entire floor to know your business, then that's completely your choice, but –”

Sighing, she pulled open the door, cutting off his words. Alex and Xan were quite capable of carrying on a conversation through a locked door, and she'd long ago learned that it was better not to push them. Silently, she gestured them into her room, then shut it behind them once they'd entered. Putting down her sword, she turned to face them as they took up the same seats on the couch they'd occupied the night before. “It doesn't matter. Greg is no longer a part of my life. It's what I wanted anyway.” The last words came out on a half-sob, and she swallowed hard, blinking past the tears.

Automatically, Xan rose to put an arm around her. “Oh, Nina,” he said softly, sympathetically.

She closed her eyes and turned into the warmth he offered her as Alex, too, rose to comfort her.

Before he could get to her, though, the phone rang. For a moment, Nina hesitated, unwilling to answer it, then silently shook herself. Only emergency calls were routed to her suite if it was before ten o'clock in the morning; all others were routed either to one of her staff or to her voicemail. Meeting Xan's worried eyes, she gently stepped back and waved off Alex, then crossed the room to pick up the phone on the dresser on the opposite wall.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled on her best-composed persona and forced a smile to her lips. As she picked up the phone, she saw from the caller ID display that it was the Front Desk calling. “Good morning, this is Reina,” she greeted.

A distressed female voice came on the line. “This is Mary Dulfer, the front desk operations supervisor. I'm very sorry to bother you, Ms. Sanchez, but we cannot find Mr. Torinson,” she said, referring to the hotel's general manager. “All other management personnel are either off duty or otherwise unavailable at the moment.”

“What's the problem?” Thinking it would be a simple case of an overly irate guest, Nina relaxed slightly.

“A Mr. Neal McKay is here from the Internal Revenue Service. He has a court order to shut the hotel down, and he's given us until eight o'clock tonight to relocate all of the guests to other facilities.”

“What?!” Nina couldn't help exclaiming. Pushing her own emotions aside, she took a deep breath. “I'll be down shortly to take care of this, Mary.”

“Thank you, Ms. Sanchez, and I apologize if I woke you.” Gratitude and relief mingled in the other woman's voice before she disconnected the line.

“What's going on?” Xan wondered.

“I don't know all the details yet,” Nina answered distractedly as she quickly changed clothes and tried to look professional rather than heartbroken. “But I'll let you know.” She grabbed the leather bag that served as her briefcase and concealment for her sword, then headed downstairs.

continued in part three