Earth's Embrace, page 13
But tonight nothing about her was reminiscent of that long-ago nickname. Tonight she had none of the hostility of her teen years, and if fear was still her constant companion, she was hiding it well. Instead she stood straight and poised, carrying herself with the grace and coiled strength of a person in tune with her body. Even if Keahi hadn’t known about her Muay Thai training, he would have guessed it from the way she moved, the contoured lines of lean muscle in her arms and back, apparent even from here. Unlike most of the other women present, she wore no jewelry or flowers as adornment. Her deep emerald sheath gown was a stunning complement to her dark skin. Her hair was a mass of riotous curls framing her face. Wildness and mystery.
He muttered a curse under his breath. What kind of dress is that anyway?!
It clung to her body in fascinating ways. The man beside her leaned forward to whisper something in her ear and she laughed. When she laughed, her eyes lit up and she looked happy. Another difference. The Teuila he knew had rarely been happy.
A slice of fury cut him deep. This was a mistake. He shouldn’t have come. Should have just phoned in his auction bid from the hotel. Better yet, he should have stayed in Los Angeles and had his agent deal with it. He didn’t need to be here. He didn’t need to see her, talk to her. What did they have to say to each other after all?
A crowd buzzed around her, wanting to congratulate her. She greeted them all with a quiet confidence and surety, thanking them, flushing a little at their compliments. A warm heat built in him then, not from the mugginess of the tropical evening. He smiled in the darkness and acknowledged it for what it was.
He was proud of her. His gaze swept the room, lingering on the art pieces that bore her name on the placards. She had done all this. She had worked hard, come so far. He remembered the darkness that used to live inside her, a darkness he understood all too well – and he was happy. No, he had done the right thing by coming here tonight. He was going to celebrate her journey, toast her achievements, add his congratulations to the others. And then he was going to turn around, walk right out of here and go straight to the airport where a private jet waited for him. Once he got back home, he would halt all the surveillance, stop tracking Teuila’s career, stop worrying about her path, and report the success of his mission to Jake. He’d come here tonight with a plan and he was going to stick to it.
Until the man beside Teuila brought his hand up behind her to dance his fingers along the bare skin of her spine. A confident caress of possession. Which immediately caused her to stiffen and shift away. No one else noticed, only Keahi. That look in her eyes made him clench his fists. The fear that she tried to clamp down and replace with lightness. It was only a fleeting glimpse but it was enough to take him back to a day long ago when a sullen, fourteen-year-old girl had asked him if he could teach her how to fight back...
“What do you want, kid?” His words were harsh but his tone wasn’t. Keahi had spent enough years as a beat-up little kid to recognize another.
“Can you teach me?” The request took supreme effort. She didn’t like asking for anything, especially not from a boy.
He stopped his rhythmic blows to the workout bag. “Teach you what?” He looked at her. A slight figure of a girl, wiry hair pulled back into a thick braid and dark eyes that hinted at hurt. He’d noticed her in his classes here at the centre. Always hovering on the edges of the lessons, pretending not to pay too much attention but every nerve attuned to his instructions, her eyes greedily memorizing his every strategic throw and twist. And now here she was. Still cautious. Still poised for flight at the first sign of threat.
He took his time unstrapping his gloves, not making any sudden movements. It came instinctively to him because he had lived a lifetime in her shoes. She waited till he was done. Until he had tossed the gloves to the side and she had his complete attention.
“Teach me how to kill someone.”
If she thought to shock him, she was disappointed. Keahi gave her a casual shrug. “Sure. Be here tomorrow afternoon. I’ll give you lessons three times a week.”
Then he got his bag and left. He didn’t see the way she looked at him, the almost-reverential awe. He never did. He wouldn’t have recognized it even if he had.
Here, on this glittering, colourful night of celebration, Keahi didn’t like seeing that relic of the past in Teuila’s eyes. It made him grit his teeth, a muscle tensed in his jawline. His eyes were locked on the scene before him. Teuila shifted ever so slightly away from her male companion but the man was oblivious to her discomfort because he only moved closer. He reached again for her, this time to take her hand in his, bring her fingers to his lips.
Keahi didn’t breathe. Just ground his frustrations into the glass he was holding. The sound of glass shattering had heads turn his way. A passing waiter leapt to assist him. “Sir, your hand. Let me clean that up for you.”
Keahi knelt beside the waiter. “Sorry about the mess.”
The conversation in the room resumed and everyone turned back to their party chatter.
Everyone that is, except Teuila. She looked and their eyes met. A flash of recognition and all emotion drained from her face. She was no longer listening to the crowd around her. Her gaze was locked on the man across the room, half on his knees, picking up broken pieces of glass. Keahi was caught. For a moment he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. A rush of memories assailed him. Memories of a young girl who had lived through far more in her fourteen years than most people endured in a lifetime. A girl who didn’t exist anymore because there she stood now, a grown woman.
An achingly beautiful woman in an emerald green dress.
Buy Now – Fire’s Caress
Also by Lani Wendt Young
Looking for YA Fantasy from Samoa? Try the Telesa Series.
Telesā
When Water Burns
The Bone Bearer
I am Daniel Tahi
* * *
The Telesa World Books
Ocean’s Kiss
Earth’s Embrace
* * *
Is apocalyptic fiction your thing? Check out the Tagata Oti Series.
Mata Oti – Eyes of Death
Taulaga - Sacrifice
* * *
Award-winning short stories.
Afakasi Woman: Collection of Short Fiction
Koviti Aikae
Subscribe to Lani’s newsletter and get the latest updates on new book releases, author signings, giveaways and more.
Sign Up
About the Author
Lani Young is an international bestselling author of YA fantasy, contemporary romance and literary fiction. The 2018 Pacific Laureate, her work is inspired by the diverse mythology of Oceania and the richness of her cultural heritage as a Samoan and Maori woman.
* * *
She is the author of the Telesā Series, the Telesā World books, the Scarlet Lies series, the Afakasi Woman collection, the Tagata Oti apocalyptic fiction books, and the non-fiction book Pacific Tsunami Galu Afi. She also writes stories for children. She is the co-editor of the 2021 anthology of Moana women’s writing – Va.
* * *
When she’s not writing, Lani bakes cookies, talks to dogs, and is the #BadWatergirl to her Ironman husband. They live in Samoa and New Zealand. You can find more of her writing at Sleepless in Samoa.
Lani Wendt Young, Earth's Embrace
