Looking up at the ceiling, he saw the panel outlined. He let go of Fiona’s hand and moved toward the corner so he could use the walls to his advantage.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting us out.”
Bracing one foot against the wall, Hector pushed himself upward. He was strong and it didn’t take too much for him to punch open the panel on the ceiling. Once it was open, he was able to support his weight with his hands. As he attempted to pull himself up through the hole, he felt Fiona pushing him up from below. He glanced down at her, surprised at where her hands were placed. She was smiling up at him, while she supported his behind with her hands.
“When Lyra and I were kids we used to love to climb trees. We helped each other a lot to get to that first high branch,” she said. “I always fell though. Lyra was much better at climbing.”
Hector just laughed. He wasn’t sure what to say. Not with this beautiful woman’s hands on his ass. After more pulling and uncomfortable pushing, he managed to get through the panel and on top of the elevator.
Lying on his stomach, he reached through the hole to Fiona. “Grab my hand and I’ll pull you up.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?”
“No, but it’s the best plan I’ve got.”
“Okay, I trust you.” She reached up and grasped his hand. When he started to pull, she braced her feet along the wall just as he had done. She wasn’t very heavy, so it didn’t take too much exertion to bring her through. The ball of witchlight floated through after her.
Once they were both up, Fiona looked around. “Now what do we do?”
Hector shrugged. “Got any spells to help us float out of here?”
“No, but if we fall I could definitely heal all those broken bones.”
He laughed again. “Well, that’s good to know. Just in case.” He glanced up, searching for a way to get out of the elevator shaft and onto a floor. It was dark along the walls. “Could you direct that witchlight up there, so I can see where we are?”
Fiona wrapped her hand around the glowing ball hovering in midair and then tossed it up toward where Hector pointed. The glowing green orb floated up and up along one wall.
“Stop,” Hector said. And the ball obeyed.
He could clearly see the inside of an elevator door. It was marked with a big thirty in red. They were only about eight feet below their intended destination. All they had to do was grab the ladder rungs along the wall and climb up. Prying the door open was another matter altogether.
“I can see the door. We just need to climb up the side and get to it.”
Fiona looked like she was going to faint. “I guess this is a bad time to tell you I’m not very good with heights.”
Hector set his hand on her shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She half smiled. “I bet you never thought you’d be rescuing someone at Lyra’s wedding.”
“Hey, I’ve been through stranger things. The last case I worked with Lyra and the rest of the OCU was interesting, to say the least.”
She laughed, but he could hear the apprehension in her voice. He felt it, as well. Now that he was at the edge of the elevator and looking down the shaft, he wasn’t so confident of the ease of getting to the next floor. Most of what he was saying was bravado. He was trying to appear strong and positive in front of Fiona. It was a man thing.
“Okay, I’m going to go up first and see if I can get the door open.”
Hector stood at the edge of the elevator and reached across to grasp one of the ladder rungs. It was more of a stretch then he’d first realized. Without looking down, he held on to the rung and stepped out onto the ladder. As Fiona watched him, he could see her wince with every movement he made. He tried hard not to do the same.
Slowly he climbed up. Within moments he was level with the elevator door. Now came the tricky part. Prying the door apart, while hanging onto the ladder. He wasn’t sure he could accomplish that with only one hand to work with. Damn it, maybe getting out of the elevator was a really bad judgment call.
Grasping hold of the ladder rung, he reached over to the elevator door. He pressed his fingers into the slit and tried to get a firm grip. Maybe just tugging on one side would prompt the doors to open. But he didn’t get a chance to find out because something was going on with the elevator.
“Hector,” Fiona said, “I think the electricity is back on in the elevator.”
He glanced down and saw the telltale glow of light coming through the panel in the elevator ceiling.
“Jump back down, Fiona. You’ll be safe inside.” He started climbing back down the ladder toward her.
The hum of movement reverberated through the shaft. The elevator was moving with or without them.
“It’s moving!” Fiona yelled. Except it wasn’t going up, it was going down.
Hector was right beside her now on the ladder. He reached with his hand toward her.
“Jump!”
“I can’t.”
“Do it now! I’ll catch you.”
With her eyes closed, Fiona took a running leap off the elevator roof. Hector managed to grab her around the waist and pulled her to him. The impact hit him hard in the gut, but he didn’t let his hold on her loosen.
“I got you,” he murmured.
Her whole body was shaking, but she managed to set her feet onto one of the rungs. She still held on to him tightly, though. He didn’t mind. He liked having her close. He could smell vanilla in her hair and on her skin. It was one of his favorite scents.
The elevator dropped, stopping at the floor beneath them. Hector could hear the opening and closing of the door. He sighed but made no motion to relinquish his hold on Fiona.
“I thought I was going to fall,” she finally said, her voice barely a whisper. But he heard her. “That was almost a down part of my horoscope.”
“I told you I’d catch you. I never lie.”
She looked up at him, her gaze serious and penetrating. “I know. I can sense that about you.”
Their gazes held. And Hector could feel the temperature rising around him. She leaned toward him, her lips parted. He could hardly contain himself. It was the strangest place to be kissing the woman of his dreams. But he wouldn’t complain.
Her mouth was only a whisper away when the elevator door above them was yanked open. Caine Valorian leaned down and looked at them.
“Did you guys need some help?”
Hector groaned. Fiona released a nervous laugh and noticeably reined herself in. The moment was snatched away with the help of a three-hundred-year-old vampire.
“How did you know we were here?” Hector asked his friend.
Caine tapped his head. “I heard you.” He reached down with his hand. “Come on. I’ll get you two up. We can’t have a wedding without one of the bridesmaids.”
Letting go of Fiona, Hector helped her up the ladder to Caine’s outstretched hand. He felt a sense of loss when she was out of his arms. Maybe it was just the scare they had. The adrenaline rush. It couldn’t possibly be that he was head over heels lovestruck with a woman that he’d just met.
Things like that just didn’t happen. But then, again, he was in Necropolis. And strange things were par for the course.
Chapter 2
The service was beautiful, once Fiona was able to fix her hair and get into line with the other two bridesmaids, Eve and Gwen. Surprisingly, even after being hauled out of the top of an elevator, jumping into a man’s arms and climbing up a ladder to be rescued, her dress was still immaculate. Not a dirty spot on it. But that was what clean spells were for. To protect one’s attire from unplanned disaster.
Lyra was a breathtaking bride in ivory lace, but that didn’t surprise Fiona. Love did that to a person. Made them radiate and glow. And the groom, well—Theron was just gorgeous. Polished and perfect. Despite that, Fiona couldn’t keep her focus on the ceremony or her gaze off one particular person in the audience. Hector Morales was too damn sexy for words in his dark suit, long, dark wavy hair, with flecks of gray at the temple, and five o’clock shadow.
A couple of times she felt his gaze on her, as well. It was probably because he was waiting for something else to go wrong around her. She hadn’t been exactly charming in the elevator. She had babbled at him and then shorted out the electricity. Not exactly smooth behavior. She’d also been a complete dork on top of the elevator with her fear of heights and her clumsy jump into his arms. She knew her elbow had plowed into his gut. Thankfully no lower. But he hadn’t made a sound. He didn’t comment, either. She appreciated that.
Once Lyra and Theron said their vows and lit candles to thank the spirits, the priestess performing the ceremony pronounced them to be man and wife. The audience, a mix of vampire and lycan and witch, some from very powerful families both inside Necropolis and out, rose and clapped as the couple walked arm in arm down the aisle. Gwen and Eve followed behind, then Fiona. As she walked in the procession, she tried hard not to pick Hector out of the crowd. She kept her eyes ahead of her and concentrated on taking controlled steps forward.
But as things were in her world, nothing went as planned.
She tripped on the ivory runner down the aisle and her bouquet of white and pink daises popped out of her hands and tumbled to the ground. Embarrassed, Fiona went to pick them up, but someone beat her to it.
Hector’s gaze met hers as she straightened and he gave her the flowers. “Are you okay?”
She nodded quickly, flustered by the amused look on his face. “I’m good.” She lifted the flowers. “Thanks for, um—”
“You’re welcome.”
She wanted to say more, but she caught sight of someone in her peripheral vision. Someone she really didn’t ever want to see again.
Clutching the bouquet to her chest, she made her escape and caught up with the wedding party. They were going into the atrium for the wedding photos. While they were to be inundated with light spots from the camera flash, the rest of the attendees would be getting ready to find their assigned table. Fiona didn’t mind. It would give her time to clamp down on her nerves and stop being a clumsy fool. The last thing she wanted was to give Hector the impression that she was ridiculous.