A/N: Woo hoo here we go! Another chapter. Feedback appreciated.
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own 'em.
Chapter Seven
Amazon
South America, August 14th, 2003
Moonlight pooled against hard muscles, falling softly across a taut abdomen. Its touch highlighted damp bare flesh, drawing her attention to his tempting figure. For a moment she stilled her actions, simply watching him as he leaned over his pack, her gaze drifting over the nice ass concealed by dark jeans. He straightened a moment later, ruggedly sexy, glistening beneath a sheen of perspiration. The hard curve of his back beckoned Lara, its smooth, sun-darkened flesh marred by a few crisscrossing scars, which somehow only seemed to lend to his appeal.
The surrounding jungle rose forbidding and black behind him, swaying foliage thick inlaid with undulating shadows. Nearby flora formed dark and ominous figures, untouched by the moon's effulgent illumination. Even the soft wash of light provided by the halogen lantern Kurtis had set up between their sleeping bags failed to penetrate the gloom.
"You have everything?"
She jumped, startled at the sound of his voice. Hastily, before Kurtis could turn and catch her gaping, she bent over her equipment and devoted her full attention to it. "All packed and ready to go. You sure you know exactly where to dive? I'd rather not spend half the night just looking for the damned place."
"Don't worry. I know where it is." he said, turning to face her at the same moment she reluctantly raised her eyes once more.
Unbidden, full lips parted in an 'o' of surprise, mahogany gaze momentarily eclipsed by thick dark lashes.
"Do I really look that bad with my shirt off?"
"Your stomach. What happened to it?" Lara blurted, transfixed by the taut dark flesh of his abdomen, and the vicious puckered scar traversing his body just above the navel.
He glanced down, and absently traced a finger over it. "Old injury."
"It doesn't look as old as the other ones."
Kurtis raised an eyebrow. "Other ones?"
She felt heat in her cheeks, but there was no point in denying having seen them, now that she'd opened her big fat mouth. "The ones on your back."
"It was more recent than them." He strode powerfully over the ground toward her, his shadow falling heavy and dark over her features for a single moment as he passed the lantern. "You're not going to get rid of it by staring at it."
"What caused it?"
Kurtis seated himself behind her, more closely than he'd intended, heat rising between them as their legs brushed. Swallowing, he offered the water canteen he clutched to her, and swiped perspiration from his glistening brow. "Too fucking hot here."
"So what caused it? Boaz? Was that why I found your blood on the floor of the arena in the Vault of Trophies?" she prodded, removing the cap and taking a quick swig.
He scowled and shook renegade bangs from narrowed cerulean orbs. "If you're so concerned about it, kiss it better, Croft."
"Don't snap at me. I was just curious." Her eyes slipped to his own, perusing the hardness in his cold gaze. Full lips curved in a slight smile as he stood, and before he could go, she grasped him by the legs to cease his movement.
"What the he-"
She pressed an open mouth to his bare flesh, effectively cutting him off mid-curse. His pulse leapt fantastically, lips parting in shock as her slender hands skimmed teasingly upward, settling to a final rest against his thighs. A violent shiver passed throughout him as her mouth caressed the raised flesh of his scar, and he felt the warmth of her tongue present at his navel for a single moment before she drew back.
Lara stood, and briskly dusted her hands, his taste lingering in the depths of her mouth.
He stared slack-jawed at her, his look of shock almost comical. She resisted the fierce urge to hurl herself at him and begin kissing and touching that sleek hard body; she'd known the move she'd just made was not an intelligent one, but for one moment she'd simply allowed herself to react to his 'kiss it better' comment without thinking it through. And she liked to see him thrown off like this, a breach in his normally unruffled composure. He looked even sexier caught off-guard.
The hot flash of desire in his chill gaze was almost enough to placate her, however, a prize that suddenly made giving in to her own desires worth it. *Too bad you can't take a cold shower.* she thought, and smirked.
* * *
"Keep your light on me when we get underwater. I don't want us getting separated. If you get lost you're on your own, Lara; I'm going after the 4th Shard, whether you're with me or not." Kurtis said brusquely as they traversed the jungle's moist ground. They walked single-file, flinging aside clinging jungle foliage as they walked, both laden with burdensome packs. The weight of Lara's bag rested heavy across softly rounded shoulders, the straps gouging perspiration-slick flesh under the sweat-dampened material of her tank top.
She rolled her eyes, and savagely hurled aside a tree branch.
"I think I can handle myself, Kurtis." *You big ape. You're just pissed that you were turned on by me kissing your stomach.* Full lips flattened in a scowl, irritation rising thick within her as her eyes fell across his naked shoulders. "Why don't you put a bloody shirt on?" *Maybe that will help me to stop thinking about your abs, and how sexy you look even with a scar across the stomach.*
"Get a grip. If I want to run around naked, then I'll fucking do it. I don't need you ordering me around." he snapped, sounding equally pissed.
"It wasn't an order. It was a suggestion. But if you value my eyesight, then maybe you shoul-"
"Just go to hell." Kurtis muttered, increasing his pace, muscles undulating powerfully beneath slick flesh.
"Been there, done that, and didn't your mother teach you not to speak to ladies that way?"
"You're not a lady."
"Oh really?" Lara demanded, sarcasm distorting her voice. "Then what am I? A man? No, let me guess: a man dressed as a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman."
"I was referring to the fact that you're not exactly lady-like, *not* implying that you've undergone some kind of sex-change surgery."
"Well, thank you very much. You don't know how much that means to me."
Their bickering was liable to continue all the way to the lake which they would use to gain access to the Lux Veritatis temple. She had a feeling this sudden tension was a direct result of the underlying attraction between them, and the fact that both were two stubborn to do much about it. Kurtis' kiss had been a momentary slip, a move rendered without thought and one which was not likely to happen again. She suffered a pang of regret at that thought, and thrust it angrily aside.
The plane trip to South America and the two day trek into this particular region of the Amazon had been arduous and uncomfortable to say the least, particularly the cramped coach section of the small aircraft which had been the last available flight option open to them. Kurtis especially had suffered, his longer legs folded uncomfortably near to a stubble-shaded chin.
She'd fallen asleep on his shoulder that night, their crowded quarters not allowing much mobility, and woken the next morning to find him slumbering peacefully beside her, his head lying atop her own. The sight of such a hardened warrior sleeping like a young boy had stirred something deep within Lara, and she scowled again as she remembered this nostalgic reaction to his aggravating sexiness.
They emerged now into a clearing, Kurtis still leading, his powerful steps slowing as he swung his pack from strong shoulders.
Quiescent liquid lie in silent wait, the moon's silver brilliance caressing indigo water as it drifted lightly overhead. The lake shimmered as liquid mercury, its surface spreading smooth and silken across dank earth.
The fresh pure scent of water wafted to gently tempt her nostrils. Lara inhaled, relishing nature's tantalizing perfume for a moment.
"I didn't expect to find a lake in the middle of this place. Man made?" Lara asked, joining him at the water's edge.
"Yes. To disguise the entrance to the Lux Veritatis temple, so that no one would realize what lay beneath it." He contemplated the lake through pensive eyes, a distant expression seizing hold of rugged features.
"You said you were very young when you were brought here to be initiated. How the hell did they get you into the temple if you and your Lux Veritatis pals had to enter underwater?" She crouched, her gaze lingering curiously on him for a moment before dropping to the bag now sprawled at booted feet.
Kurtis smirked, the slight twist of his lips almost bitter. "It was part of the test."
Lara unzipped the pack's front pouch and yanked her wetsuit free of the contents jumbled haphazardly inside. "Test? What do you mean?" A black-cased flashlight joined her wetsuit, tumbling to a reluctant rest within the suit's thick, rubbery folds.
"The Lux Veritatis taught their offspring to swim at an extremely young age. When it was time for them to be initiated, they had to find their way to the tunnel leading up into an air pocket where the temple was constructed-before they drowned. It was a less official part of the initiation. Those who died were considered not worthy." He unzipped his own pack in a single, brutal motion, his vicious yank nearly parting the zipper from the bag's bulk. "The entrance is a twenty minute swim from the place the initiates entered the water."
Lara blinked, shocked. "No one could hold their breath that long."
"They gave us respirators and air tanks with ten minutes of air. Once that ran out, we had to hold our breath until we either drowned or reached the temple. There were four of us the day I was initiated; I was the only one who reached the temple. My father told me it was how they 'weeded out those not strong enough to be members of the order.' But he hated the initiation. He said it was cruel, but it wasn't until a few years after I was initiated that he had the power to do something about it."
"Ten minutes, hmmm? Well unless you have superhuman lung capacity, that seems a bit far-fetched to me."
"The Lux Veritatis can...could manipulate their own bodies slightly through telekinesis, enabling them to go longer without air. But even ten minutes is an incredibly long time. It's why many people didn't survive the first part of the initiation."
"I can't believe they did that to such young children. But I suppose they justified it by telling themselves that it was 'all part of the process.'" She paused, shaking her head in disgust, mahogany orbs trailing to his crouching figure. "Kurtis, did *you* initiate anyone?" Her voice fell cold and hard on his ears now.
He eased both eyes briefly shut. "No. I left when I was sixteen, and joined the Foreign Legion." His lashes fluttered slowly, lethargically open, the world snapping into sharp focus around him.
Silence fell thickly now, both lost in their own ponderings as they withdrew equipment. He snuck glances at her often, his gaze treading the curve of soft cheekbones, an unnamed emotion flickering in cerulean depths for a fleeting moment. Bile rose thick in his throat as violent memories assaulted him with sudden ferocity, prompted by the familiarity of the rippling lake before him, easily recognizable despite the fact that he hadn't seen it in nearly thirty years.
*Flashback*
The water's chill snaked to kiss exposed flesh, nipping at the slender and frail figure of his thrashing body. He felt burning pain rippling all throughout his chest, an urgent need to breathe convulsing the tiny form.
He hung suspended in undulating liquid for a moment, peering frightened and bewildered through wide cerulean eyes. *I want Daddy.* he thought desperately, and suppressed the urge to burst into tears. To do so would mean death.
He stroked rhythmically, the motion increasingly more difficult as the lake plunged to blackness before him for a single moment. Full lips parted in an explosive gasp, and churning liquid surged instantly into his mouth, thrusting down a wildly constricting throat. He felt the water's crushing weight settle inside him, filling delicate lungs, swirling all throughout him...
*End flashback*
"Turn around."
Kurtis looked, startled, in the direction of the voice, so lost in the eerie flashback that for a moment he did not recognize its owner. He stared blankly at Lara, who quirked a slender eyebrow. "Turn your back. I'm changing into my wetsuit."
He blinked, and the vision drifting before him with startling clarity vanished. "Sure."
"I'll know if you're peeking, and I have a gun."
He smirked, and spun with his bag gripped in both hands. "I'm not a pervert."
"Just a friendly reminder. The next one won't be quite so friendly."
Kurtis rifled his pack as she changed, the tantalizing rasp of a zipper teasing sensitive ears, the rustle of clothing lightly disturbing the calm. He steeled himself against thoughts of what she was doing only a few feet away from him, and stoically continued his unpacking.
He retrieved his face mask, then removed a heavy pair of fins.
"You're swimming in jeans? That might be a little uncomfortable once you're out of the water. Damn things chafe when they're wet, you know. And you can turn back around now."
"Maybe I'll just take them off." Kurtis murmured distractedly.
Lara stepped into her own fins. "What kinds of things should we be looking out for? Any booby traps, nasty little pitfalls your ancient brotherhood might have put into place to discourage intruders?"
He stripped off his pants, baring muscular legs and olive boxers, the thin material of his undershorts stirred by a light breeze. Swiftly he changed into his own suit, moonlight dancing briefly against tanned and slick flesh. "I don't know. The Lux Veritatis knew how to get past any traps, if there are any. I never saw any."
"Hmmm. Well, it's not like I haven't walked into a place before not knowing beforehand where any danger is."
His mask settled over handsome features, partially sheathing beautiful azure orbs behind thick, frosted plastic. "Stay close." he said, and stepped forward, into the water's waiting embrace.
* * *
She felt the lake's pressing bulk settle chill and heavy along the lithe curves of her slender body, and blackness rushed in to cloud keen dark eyes. She breathed evenly, each inhalation slow and rhythmic, a froth of bubbles foaming at her mouthpiece and drifting lightly away into swirling liquid.
Kurtis stroked easily beside her, his strong hard body arching and flexing with each fin stroke. He showed no hesitation, each powerful movement confident and sure, as though he knew precisely where he was headed. He seemed to navigate the black depths with such certainty despite not laying eyes on the place in almost three decades. For a moment Lara marveled at this acute and mysterious man, mahogany gaze surging to settle briefly on him.
He unclipped his dive light from the belt cinched around his hard waist, and snapped it on, turning the beam forward.
Golden illumination danced within the darkness, fighting its way through hazy liquid to cast ebony water in brilliance. The sudden flare of light revealed gently undulating plant life, and a sandy bottom lurking far below.
They aimed downward, moving as one, bodies drifting near one another. The thick silken cord of Lara's braid streamed behind her, its length drifting briefly against Kurtis, prompting a shiver down his spine.
He touched her elbow lightly, the brief passage of his fingertips against the thick insulated material of her suit merely a whisper. With the flashlight he gripped in his opposite hand, Kurtis indicated a large slab of stone far below.
She squinted through surging blackness, thick dark lashes fluttering in concentration. *An opening.* Lara realized after a moment. It was barely visible from here, no more than a sliver of ebony against ragged silver.
* * *
His fingertips traversed rough stone, trailing the wall's jagged exterior as he surged upward, into the narrow unlighted tunnel. It's gloom rose to embrace him, plunging covetous fingers against his waiting figure, his flashlight's beam barely permeating the shroud of dark.
Lara's fingers twined as one with his belt, wisely taking a firm hold so she would not lose him. The tunnel's tapering confines forced them to travel nearly single file, and he felt her body press close behind him. Her nearness did little to thrust away the chill which suddenly seized hold of him, its ferocity enough to churn bile within the interior of his throat.
Swiftly, Kurtis shook off this unwanted fear, forcing all unhappy memories of this place from his mind. He swam grimly onward, following the tunnel's slope as it slanted gradually upward, carrying them nearer and nearer the surface.
*I'm going to make this fast. Get in, grab the Shard, and get the hell back out.* He preferred to spend as little time possible in this place which had given birth to his role in the Lux Veritatis, an order which he'd eventually come to realize he wanted no part of. It was the reason he'd left at such a young age, and for several years he hadn't touched the power within him, giving in to his strange occult abilities only when he realized it made certain things a bit easier. Even now, he wished he could say a glib 'fuck you' to Karel and the rest of the world, and let someone else worry about Karel and his order of Nephilim. He'd never harbored aspirations of heroism, preferring instead to keep to himself and watch his own back. But he couldn't dishonor his father's memory by allowing Karel to triumph; he could not let all his father had lived and died for become useless simply because he was tired of fighting for a world he hadn't much hope for anyway.
Above, dim illumination thrust downward, its soft effulgence slipping unbidden through layers of glistening liquid. The tunnel widened now, flaring outward as it spiraled ever upward toward the surface. Lara loosened her hold on him and stroked powerfully, until he found her beside him once more. Slowly, almost lethargically, she pulled ahead, and her face twisted briefly to peer haughtily over one small shoulder. Behind her mask, full lips puckered and parted slightly, the teasing kiss followed by a smirk.
His own lips curved to match her expression, and he swam fiercely now, drawing even with her again, their churning fins frosting quiescent water in a violent froth.
They broke the surface as one, glistening and damp as they tugged mouthpieces from between panting lips.
"I beat you." Lara said, slipping off her mask and shaking clinging bangs free of high cheekbones. With an agile flick of one wrist, she tossed the mask over the water's shimmering surface to land on hard stone.
"You did not. We tied."
"You're just trying to preserve your manly pride by pretending you weren't beaten by a woman. It's not healthy to lie to yourself like that, Kurtis."
"Really." he said, quirking an eyebrow. Then, with one final long look at her, he thrashed to the pool's edge and hoisted himself out, treading awkwardly in the clumsy fins.
The room they'd emerged into was nothing more than a stone chamber, arched walls curving in a domed ceiling high above, ancient rock thick inlaid with dust and grime. The dim illumination which had guided them here seemed to emanate from the very walls themselves, and he panned his flashlight slowly around the room for a moment, taking in their surroundings, cerulean orbs probing ambulant shadows for signs of danger.
"See anything interesting?" Lara asked, slender fingers closing over the pool's edge.
He glanced down at her, then set aside his light and reached down, strong hands slipping warm and gentle over her wrists. His muscles bunched beneath her added weight, and she found herself lifted free of rippling liquid with surprising ease.
*I didn't need his help getting out.* she thought, but refrained from saying so, enjoying the weight of his hands on her hips. Their gazes merged, the intensity of his just as startling as always.
"Just one thing." he said, and smiled. He moved slightly back, his masculine hands drawing free of her body with agonizing lethargy.
She swallowed hard and bent to remove the heavy, cumbersome fins, checking the dive knife strapped to one shapely calf as she did so. "So you don't know where this Shard is?"
"No clue. It's got to be well hidden, since Lux Veritatis have been initiated here for years and no one ever knew of it's existence." He stripped off his own fins, even so casual a movement powerful and sexy to her eyes. He looked even sexier dripping wet, water traversing the handsome planes of his face as it dribbled from saturated hair.
She straightened once more, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Which way?"
"Come on." he said, and jerked his head toward the northern wall. He retrieved his flashlight, sweeping its illumination over the passage revealed by the sudden flood of light, and reached almost absently for her hand.
Their fingers brushed for the briefest moment, and she felt a pleasant warmth surge all throughout her, its touch undulating in each limb. Her hand bucked in response, the minute twitch stiffening his entire body as he realized what he'd been about to do.
He strode ahead without waiting to see if she followed.
Lara kept close behind, a sudden thrill trembling her slender figure. *It's been a while since I've done this sort of thing. The last temple I was in was...the Temple of Horus. Well, let's hope this is a better experience.*
Their bare feet tread stone with the lightest of whispers, flesh rasping quietly against smooth floor, the rock flattened by centuries of visitors. The passage's dank ancient scent writhed in her nostrils, its presence nearly overpowering Kurtis' clean masculine smell. She inhaled deeply, reveling in this strangely familiar odor, at that moment realizing just how much she'd missed this: the pleasant tension of exploring unknown civilizations, the tantalizing call of adventure and danger, her passions, the very reason which she existed.
*How did I manage to give it up? This is who I am.*
The passage broadened into another chamber, and they stood side by side, perusing their surroundings through stunned eyes.
The floor lay thick before them with bodies, these grisly visages lying mangled and contorted, decaying lips parted in final screams of horror. Carmine fluid, long since dried to bronze, sheathed gray stone beneath its immense spread.
"What the hell?" Kurtis murmured, pacing forward a step.
A penetrating *shing!* rent the air, and Lara's gaze slipped to the far left wall. Protruding from ancient stone, a wicked blade glistened momentarily in the illumination spilling from Kurtis' flashlight.
"Kurtis look out!" she yelled.
He ducked instinctively, surging into a forward roll at the same moment another blade sang to life, thrusting upright where he'd stood only a moment before. He rose, tense muscles uncoiling, and now the entire floor erupted beneath him, slashing blades plunging upward, perilously close to his body.
"Shit." Lara said, standing rigid just within the chamber's entrance.
He dodged around another shining sword, and leapt forward into a sprint, arms pumping, feet drumming against blood-stained stone. Lara watched tensely, heart thundering powerfully within her chest.
Kurtis rolled again to avoid being impaled, and snapped a hand up, palm open. The sudden burst of power exploded outward, shearing off a blade as it hissed upward, passing mere centimeters in front of his face, its deadly point nearly skewering him through the head. He scrambled hastily to his feet, and jumped straight up, leaping impossibly high as he manipulated his muscles through telekinesis to allow them to perform unthinkable feats.
Lara's eyes widened on the scene, full lips parting in astonishment.
He landed safely on the other side, knees bending to absorb the shock of the landing, and spun to face her.
Her gaze met his own, peering unwavering at his perspiration-slick face. Keeping her eyes on him, she took a running start out onto the floor, and leapt high, arching into a graceful back handspring. Her acrobatics carried her safely across the first few feet, and she twisted her lithe body nimbly to avoid the deadly blades as they sought her slender figure.
She thrust upward into another flip, and felt searing pain flame in her right arm. With a slight cry she stumbled, her momentum finished, body tumbling painfully to hard stone. Warmth trailed her injured limb, streaming blood twining the length of her toned arm beneath the wetsuit. She gripped it with her left hand to staunch the flow, and climbed to her feet, squinting through narrowed eyes at Kurtis.
"Jump." he called.
She skirted another thrashing blade, just avoiding its fatal tip, and sprang into the air, trusting his judgment, placing her fate momentarily in his hands.
Her body crashed into his waiting arms, and he staggered under her sudden weight, holding her securely to him.
She plunged her dangling foot into his knee, the savage kick forcing a surprised cry from between parted lips, his leg jerking in response and buckling. They sprawled in a tangle of limbs on the floor, bodies closely entwined.
"Turn your head!" Lara yelled over the clanking of retracting blades.
"What the hell do you-"
She grasped his chin forcefully in one strong hand, and slammed it against cold rock, pressing her own cheek tightly to his chest.
From above, something heavy whined toward them, the very air rippling with its passage. The sythe hurtled directly over them, its bulk swishing terrifyingly close to Lara's back. A second later, another dropped, lunging with terrific speed toward Kurtis' head. It whistled past, nicking the tender flesh of his ear, its viciousness drawing blood.
They lay panting with relief for a moment, his arms moving to drape protectively over her waist. She touched a hand lightly to his bleeding ear, and shifted slightly against him.
"Guess I'm not quite as rusty as I thought."
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own 'em.
Chapter Seven
Amazon
South America, August 14th, 2003
Moonlight pooled against hard muscles, falling softly across a taut abdomen. Its touch highlighted damp bare flesh, drawing her attention to his tempting figure. For a moment she stilled her actions, simply watching him as he leaned over his pack, her gaze drifting over the nice ass concealed by dark jeans. He straightened a moment later, ruggedly sexy, glistening beneath a sheen of perspiration. The hard curve of his back beckoned Lara, its smooth, sun-darkened flesh marred by a few crisscrossing scars, which somehow only seemed to lend to his appeal.
The surrounding jungle rose forbidding and black behind him, swaying foliage thick inlaid with undulating shadows. Nearby flora formed dark and ominous figures, untouched by the moon's effulgent illumination. Even the soft wash of light provided by the halogen lantern Kurtis had set up between their sleeping bags failed to penetrate the gloom.
"You have everything?"
She jumped, startled at the sound of his voice. Hastily, before Kurtis could turn and catch her gaping, she bent over her equipment and devoted her full attention to it. "All packed and ready to go. You sure you know exactly where to dive? I'd rather not spend half the night just looking for the damned place."
"Don't worry. I know where it is." he said, turning to face her at the same moment she reluctantly raised her eyes once more.
Unbidden, full lips parted in an 'o' of surprise, mahogany gaze momentarily eclipsed by thick dark lashes.
"Do I really look that bad with my shirt off?"
"Your stomach. What happened to it?" Lara blurted, transfixed by the taut dark flesh of his abdomen, and the vicious puckered scar traversing his body just above the navel.
He glanced down, and absently traced a finger over it. "Old injury."
"It doesn't look as old as the other ones."
Kurtis raised an eyebrow. "Other ones?"
She felt heat in her cheeks, but there was no point in denying having seen them, now that she'd opened her big fat mouth. "The ones on your back."
"It was more recent than them." He strode powerfully over the ground toward her, his shadow falling heavy and dark over her features for a single moment as he passed the lantern. "You're not going to get rid of it by staring at it."
"What caused it?"
Kurtis seated himself behind her, more closely than he'd intended, heat rising between them as their legs brushed. Swallowing, he offered the water canteen he clutched to her, and swiped perspiration from his glistening brow. "Too fucking hot here."
"So what caused it? Boaz? Was that why I found your blood on the floor of the arena in the Vault of Trophies?" she prodded, removing the cap and taking a quick swig.
He scowled and shook renegade bangs from narrowed cerulean orbs. "If you're so concerned about it, kiss it better, Croft."
"Don't snap at me. I was just curious." Her eyes slipped to his own, perusing the hardness in his cold gaze. Full lips curved in a slight smile as he stood, and before he could go, she grasped him by the legs to cease his movement.
"What the he-"
She pressed an open mouth to his bare flesh, effectively cutting him off mid-curse. His pulse leapt fantastically, lips parting in shock as her slender hands skimmed teasingly upward, settling to a final rest against his thighs. A violent shiver passed throughout him as her mouth caressed the raised flesh of his scar, and he felt the warmth of her tongue present at his navel for a single moment before she drew back.
Lara stood, and briskly dusted her hands, his taste lingering in the depths of her mouth.
He stared slack-jawed at her, his look of shock almost comical. She resisted the fierce urge to hurl herself at him and begin kissing and touching that sleek hard body; she'd known the move she'd just made was not an intelligent one, but for one moment she'd simply allowed herself to react to his 'kiss it better' comment without thinking it through. And she liked to see him thrown off like this, a breach in his normally unruffled composure. He looked even sexier caught off-guard.
The hot flash of desire in his chill gaze was almost enough to placate her, however, a prize that suddenly made giving in to her own desires worth it. *Too bad you can't take a cold shower.* she thought, and smirked.
* * *
"Keep your light on me when we get underwater. I don't want us getting separated. If you get lost you're on your own, Lara; I'm going after the 4th Shard, whether you're with me or not." Kurtis said brusquely as they traversed the jungle's moist ground. They walked single-file, flinging aside clinging jungle foliage as they walked, both laden with burdensome packs. The weight of Lara's bag rested heavy across softly rounded shoulders, the straps gouging perspiration-slick flesh under the sweat-dampened material of her tank top.
She rolled her eyes, and savagely hurled aside a tree branch.
"I think I can handle myself, Kurtis." *You big ape. You're just pissed that you were turned on by me kissing your stomach.* Full lips flattened in a scowl, irritation rising thick within her as her eyes fell across his naked shoulders. "Why don't you put a bloody shirt on?" *Maybe that will help me to stop thinking about your abs, and how sexy you look even with a scar across the stomach.*
"Get a grip. If I want to run around naked, then I'll fucking do it. I don't need you ordering me around." he snapped, sounding equally pissed.
"It wasn't an order. It was a suggestion. But if you value my eyesight, then maybe you shoul-"
"Just go to hell." Kurtis muttered, increasing his pace, muscles undulating powerfully beneath slick flesh.
"Been there, done that, and didn't your mother teach you not to speak to ladies that way?"
"You're not a lady."
"Oh really?" Lara demanded, sarcasm distorting her voice. "Then what am I? A man? No, let me guess: a man dressed as a woman dressed as a man dressed as a woman."
"I was referring to the fact that you're not exactly lady-like, *not* implying that you've undergone some kind of sex-change surgery."
"Well, thank you very much. You don't know how much that means to me."
Their bickering was liable to continue all the way to the lake which they would use to gain access to the Lux Veritatis temple. She had a feeling this sudden tension was a direct result of the underlying attraction between them, and the fact that both were two stubborn to do much about it. Kurtis' kiss had been a momentary slip, a move rendered without thought and one which was not likely to happen again. She suffered a pang of regret at that thought, and thrust it angrily aside.
The plane trip to South America and the two day trek into this particular region of the Amazon had been arduous and uncomfortable to say the least, particularly the cramped coach section of the small aircraft which had been the last available flight option open to them. Kurtis especially had suffered, his longer legs folded uncomfortably near to a stubble-shaded chin.
She'd fallen asleep on his shoulder that night, their crowded quarters not allowing much mobility, and woken the next morning to find him slumbering peacefully beside her, his head lying atop her own. The sight of such a hardened warrior sleeping like a young boy had stirred something deep within Lara, and she scowled again as she remembered this nostalgic reaction to his aggravating sexiness.
They emerged now into a clearing, Kurtis still leading, his powerful steps slowing as he swung his pack from strong shoulders.
Quiescent liquid lie in silent wait, the moon's silver brilliance caressing indigo water as it drifted lightly overhead. The lake shimmered as liquid mercury, its surface spreading smooth and silken across dank earth.
The fresh pure scent of water wafted to gently tempt her nostrils. Lara inhaled, relishing nature's tantalizing perfume for a moment.
"I didn't expect to find a lake in the middle of this place. Man made?" Lara asked, joining him at the water's edge.
"Yes. To disguise the entrance to the Lux Veritatis temple, so that no one would realize what lay beneath it." He contemplated the lake through pensive eyes, a distant expression seizing hold of rugged features.
"You said you were very young when you were brought here to be initiated. How the hell did they get you into the temple if you and your Lux Veritatis pals had to enter underwater?" She crouched, her gaze lingering curiously on him for a moment before dropping to the bag now sprawled at booted feet.
Kurtis smirked, the slight twist of his lips almost bitter. "It was part of the test."
Lara unzipped the pack's front pouch and yanked her wetsuit free of the contents jumbled haphazardly inside. "Test? What do you mean?" A black-cased flashlight joined her wetsuit, tumbling to a reluctant rest within the suit's thick, rubbery folds.
"The Lux Veritatis taught their offspring to swim at an extremely young age. When it was time for them to be initiated, they had to find their way to the tunnel leading up into an air pocket where the temple was constructed-before they drowned. It was a less official part of the initiation. Those who died were considered not worthy." He unzipped his own pack in a single, brutal motion, his vicious yank nearly parting the zipper from the bag's bulk. "The entrance is a twenty minute swim from the place the initiates entered the water."
Lara blinked, shocked. "No one could hold their breath that long."
"They gave us respirators and air tanks with ten minutes of air. Once that ran out, we had to hold our breath until we either drowned or reached the temple. There were four of us the day I was initiated; I was the only one who reached the temple. My father told me it was how they 'weeded out those not strong enough to be members of the order.' But he hated the initiation. He said it was cruel, but it wasn't until a few years after I was initiated that he had the power to do something about it."
"Ten minutes, hmmm? Well unless you have superhuman lung capacity, that seems a bit far-fetched to me."
"The Lux Veritatis can...could manipulate their own bodies slightly through telekinesis, enabling them to go longer without air. But even ten minutes is an incredibly long time. It's why many people didn't survive the first part of the initiation."
"I can't believe they did that to such young children. But I suppose they justified it by telling themselves that it was 'all part of the process.'" She paused, shaking her head in disgust, mahogany orbs trailing to his crouching figure. "Kurtis, did *you* initiate anyone?" Her voice fell cold and hard on his ears now.
He eased both eyes briefly shut. "No. I left when I was sixteen, and joined the Foreign Legion." His lashes fluttered slowly, lethargically open, the world snapping into sharp focus around him.
Silence fell thickly now, both lost in their own ponderings as they withdrew equipment. He snuck glances at her often, his gaze treading the curve of soft cheekbones, an unnamed emotion flickering in cerulean depths for a fleeting moment. Bile rose thick in his throat as violent memories assaulted him with sudden ferocity, prompted by the familiarity of the rippling lake before him, easily recognizable despite the fact that he hadn't seen it in nearly thirty years.
*Flashback*
The water's chill snaked to kiss exposed flesh, nipping at the slender and frail figure of his thrashing body. He felt burning pain rippling all throughout his chest, an urgent need to breathe convulsing the tiny form.
He hung suspended in undulating liquid for a moment, peering frightened and bewildered through wide cerulean eyes. *I want Daddy.* he thought desperately, and suppressed the urge to burst into tears. To do so would mean death.
He stroked rhythmically, the motion increasingly more difficult as the lake plunged to blackness before him for a single moment. Full lips parted in an explosive gasp, and churning liquid surged instantly into his mouth, thrusting down a wildly constricting throat. He felt the water's crushing weight settle inside him, filling delicate lungs, swirling all throughout him...
*End flashback*
"Turn around."
Kurtis looked, startled, in the direction of the voice, so lost in the eerie flashback that for a moment he did not recognize its owner. He stared blankly at Lara, who quirked a slender eyebrow. "Turn your back. I'm changing into my wetsuit."
He blinked, and the vision drifting before him with startling clarity vanished. "Sure."
"I'll know if you're peeking, and I have a gun."
He smirked, and spun with his bag gripped in both hands. "I'm not a pervert."
"Just a friendly reminder. The next one won't be quite so friendly."
Kurtis rifled his pack as she changed, the tantalizing rasp of a zipper teasing sensitive ears, the rustle of clothing lightly disturbing the calm. He steeled himself against thoughts of what she was doing only a few feet away from him, and stoically continued his unpacking.
He retrieved his face mask, then removed a heavy pair of fins.
"You're swimming in jeans? That might be a little uncomfortable once you're out of the water. Damn things chafe when they're wet, you know. And you can turn back around now."
"Maybe I'll just take them off." Kurtis murmured distractedly.
Lara stepped into her own fins. "What kinds of things should we be looking out for? Any booby traps, nasty little pitfalls your ancient brotherhood might have put into place to discourage intruders?"
He stripped off his pants, baring muscular legs and olive boxers, the thin material of his undershorts stirred by a light breeze. Swiftly he changed into his own suit, moonlight dancing briefly against tanned and slick flesh. "I don't know. The Lux Veritatis knew how to get past any traps, if there are any. I never saw any."
"Hmmm. Well, it's not like I haven't walked into a place before not knowing beforehand where any danger is."
His mask settled over handsome features, partially sheathing beautiful azure orbs behind thick, frosted plastic. "Stay close." he said, and stepped forward, into the water's waiting embrace.
* * *
She felt the lake's pressing bulk settle chill and heavy along the lithe curves of her slender body, and blackness rushed in to cloud keen dark eyes. She breathed evenly, each inhalation slow and rhythmic, a froth of bubbles foaming at her mouthpiece and drifting lightly away into swirling liquid.
Kurtis stroked easily beside her, his strong hard body arching and flexing with each fin stroke. He showed no hesitation, each powerful movement confident and sure, as though he knew precisely where he was headed. He seemed to navigate the black depths with such certainty despite not laying eyes on the place in almost three decades. For a moment Lara marveled at this acute and mysterious man, mahogany gaze surging to settle briefly on him.
He unclipped his dive light from the belt cinched around his hard waist, and snapped it on, turning the beam forward.
Golden illumination danced within the darkness, fighting its way through hazy liquid to cast ebony water in brilliance. The sudden flare of light revealed gently undulating plant life, and a sandy bottom lurking far below.
They aimed downward, moving as one, bodies drifting near one another. The thick silken cord of Lara's braid streamed behind her, its length drifting briefly against Kurtis, prompting a shiver down his spine.
He touched her elbow lightly, the brief passage of his fingertips against the thick insulated material of her suit merely a whisper. With the flashlight he gripped in his opposite hand, Kurtis indicated a large slab of stone far below.
She squinted through surging blackness, thick dark lashes fluttering in concentration. *An opening.* Lara realized after a moment. It was barely visible from here, no more than a sliver of ebony against ragged silver.
* * *
His fingertips traversed rough stone, trailing the wall's jagged exterior as he surged upward, into the narrow unlighted tunnel. It's gloom rose to embrace him, plunging covetous fingers against his waiting figure, his flashlight's beam barely permeating the shroud of dark.
Lara's fingers twined as one with his belt, wisely taking a firm hold so she would not lose him. The tunnel's tapering confines forced them to travel nearly single file, and he felt her body press close behind him. Her nearness did little to thrust away the chill which suddenly seized hold of him, its ferocity enough to churn bile within the interior of his throat.
Swiftly, Kurtis shook off this unwanted fear, forcing all unhappy memories of this place from his mind. He swam grimly onward, following the tunnel's slope as it slanted gradually upward, carrying them nearer and nearer the surface.
*I'm going to make this fast. Get in, grab the Shard, and get the hell back out.* He preferred to spend as little time possible in this place which had given birth to his role in the Lux Veritatis, an order which he'd eventually come to realize he wanted no part of. It was the reason he'd left at such a young age, and for several years he hadn't touched the power within him, giving in to his strange occult abilities only when he realized it made certain things a bit easier. Even now, he wished he could say a glib 'fuck you' to Karel and the rest of the world, and let someone else worry about Karel and his order of Nephilim. He'd never harbored aspirations of heroism, preferring instead to keep to himself and watch his own back. But he couldn't dishonor his father's memory by allowing Karel to triumph; he could not let all his father had lived and died for become useless simply because he was tired of fighting for a world he hadn't much hope for anyway.
Above, dim illumination thrust downward, its soft effulgence slipping unbidden through layers of glistening liquid. The tunnel widened now, flaring outward as it spiraled ever upward toward the surface. Lara loosened her hold on him and stroked powerfully, until he found her beside him once more. Slowly, almost lethargically, she pulled ahead, and her face twisted briefly to peer haughtily over one small shoulder. Behind her mask, full lips puckered and parted slightly, the teasing kiss followed by a smirk.
His own lips curved to match her expression, and he swam fiercely now, drawing even with her again, their churning fins frosting quiescent water in a violent froth.
They broke the surface as one, glistening and damp as they tugged mouthpieces from between panting lips.
"I beat you." Lara said, slipping off her mask and shaking clinging bangs free of high cheekbones. With an agile flick of one wrist, she tossed the mask over the water's shimmering surface to land on hard stone.
"You did not. We tied."
"You're just trying to preserve your manly pride by pretending you weren't beaten by a woman. It's not healthy to lie to yourself like that, Kurtis."
"Really." he said, quirking an eyebrow. Then, with one final long look at her, he thrashed to the pool's edge and hoisted himself out, treading awkwardly in the clumsy fins.
The room they'd emerged into was nothing more than a stone chamber, arched walls curving in a domed ceiling high above, ancient rock thick inlaid with dust and grime. The dim illumination which had guided them here seemed to emanate from the very walls themselves, and he panned his flashlight slowly around the room for a moment, taking in their surroundings, cerulean orbs probing ambulant shadows for signs of danger.
"See anything interesting?" Lara asked, slender fingers closing over the pool's edge.
He glanced down at her, then set aside his light and reached down, strong hands slipping warm and gentle over her wrists. His muscles bunched beneath her added weight, and she found herself lifted free of rippling liquid with surprising ease.
*I didn't need his help getting out.* she thought, but refrained from saying so, enjoying the weight of his hands on her hips. Their gazes merged, the intensity of his just as startling as always.
"Just one thing." he said, and smiled. He moved slightly back, his masculine hands drawing free of her body with agonizing lethargy.
She swallowed hard and bent to remove the heavy, cumbersome fins, checking the dive knife strapped to one shapely calf as she did so. "So you don't know where this Shard is?"
"No clue. It's got to be well hidden, since Lux Veritatis have been initiated here for years and no one ever knew of it's existence." He stripped off his own fins, even so casual a movement powerful and sexy to her eyes. He looked even sexier dripping wet, water traversing the handsome planes of his face as it dribbled from saturated hair.
She straightened once more, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Which way?"
"Come on." he said, and jerked his head toward the northern wall. He retrieved his flashlight, sweeping its illumination over the passage revealed by the sudden flood of light, and reached almost absently for her hand.
Their fingers brushed for the briefest moment, and she felt a pleasant warmth surge all throughout her, its touch undulating in each limb. Her hand bucked in response, the minute twitch stiffening his entire body as he realized what he'd been about to do.
He strode ahead without waiting to see if she followed.
Lara kept close behind, a sudden thrill trembling her slender figure. *It's been a while since I've done this sort of thing. The last temple I was in was...the Temple of Horus. Well, let's hope this is a better experience.*
Their bare feet tread stone with the lightest of whispers, flesh rasping quietly against smooth floor, the rock flattened by centuries of visitors. The passage's dank ancient scent writhed in her nostrils, its presence nearly overpowering Kurtis' clean masculine smell. She inhaled deeply, reveling in this strangely familiar odor, at that moment realizing just how much she'd missed this: the pleasant tension of exploring unknown civilizations, the tantalizing call of adventure and danger, her passions, the very reason which she existed.
*How did I manage to give it up? This is who I am.*
The passage broadened into another chamber, and they stood side by side, perusing their surroundings through stunned eyes.
The floor lay thick before them with bodies, these grisly visages lying mangled and contorted, decaying lips parted in final screams of horror. Carmine fluid, long since dried to bronze, sheathed gray stone beneath its immense spread.
"What the hell?" Kurtis murmured, pacing forward a step.
A penetrating *shing!* rent the air, and Lara's gaze slipped to the far left wall. Protruding from ancient stone, a wicked blade glistened momentarily in the illumination spilling from Kurtis' flashlight.
"Kurtis look out!" she yelled.
He ducked instinctively, surging into a forward roll at the same moment another blade sang to life, thrusting upright where he'd stood only a moment before. He rose, tense muscles uncoiling, and now the entire floor erupted beneath him, slashing blades plunging upward, perilously close to his body.
"Shit." Lara said, standing rigid just within the chamber's entrance.
He dodged around another shining sword, and leapt forward into a sprint, arms pumping, feet drumming against blood-stained stone. Lara watched tensely, heart thundering powerfully within her chest.
Kurtis rolled again to avoid being impaled, and snapped a hand up, palm open. The sudden burst of power exploded outward, shearing off a blade as it hissed upward, passing mere centimeters in front of his face, its deadly point nearly skewering him through the head. He scrambled hastily to his feet, and jumped straight up, leaping impossibly high as he manipulated his muscles through telekinesis to allow them to perform unthinkable feats.
Lara's eyes widened on the scene, full lips parting in astonishment.
He landed safely on the other side, knees bending to absorb the shock of the landing, and spun to face her.
Her gaze met his own, peering unwavering at his perspiration-slick face. Keeping her eyes on him, she took a running start out onto the floor, and leapt high, arching into a graceful back handspring. Her acrobatics carried her safely across the first few feet, and she twisted her lithe body nimbly to avoid the deadly blades as they sought her slender figure.
She thrust upward into another flip, and felt searing pain flame in her right arm. With a slight cry she stumbled, her momentum finished, body tumbling painfully to hard stone. Warmth trailed her injured limb, streaming blood twining the length of her toned arm beneath the wetsuit. She gripped it with her left hand to staunch the flow, and climbed to her feet, squinting through narrowed eyes at Kurtis.
"Jump." he called.
She skirted another thrashing blade, just avoiding its fatal tip, and sprang into the air, trusting his judgment, placing her fate momentarily in his hands.
Her body crashed into his waiting arms, and he staggered under her sudden weight, holding her securely to him.
She plunged her dangling foot into his knee, the savage kick forcing a surprised cry from between parted lips, his leg jerking in response and buckling. They sprawled in a tangle of limbs on the floor, bodies closely entwined.
"Turn your head!" Lara yelled over the clanking of retracting blades.
"What the hell do you-"
She grasped his chin forcefully in one strong hand, and slammed it against cold rock, pressing her own cheek tightly to his chest.
From above, something heavy whined toward them, the very air rippling with its passage. The sythe hurtled directly over them, its bulk swishing terrifyingly close to Lara's back. A second later, another dropped, lunging with terrific speed toward Kurtis' head. It whistled past, nicking the tender flesh of his ear, its viciousness drawing blood.
They lay panting with relief for a moment, his arms moving to drape protectively over her waist. She touched a hand lightly to his bleeding ear, and shifted slightly against him.
"Guess I'm not quite as rusty as I thought."