Where Sea Meets Sky: A Novel Read online

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  ALSO BY KARINA HALLE

  In publication order by series

  Love, In English

  Love, In Spanish

  THE DIRTY ANGELS TRILOGY

  Dirty Angels

  Dirty Deeds

  THE ARTISTS TRILOGY

  On Every Street

  Sins and Needles

  Shooting Scars

  Bold Tricks

  THE DEVILS DUOLOGY

  The Devil’s Metal

  The Devil’s Reprise

  THE EXPERIMENT IN TERROR SERIES

  Darkhouse

  Red Fox

  The Benson

  Dead Sky Morning

  Lying Season

  On Demon Wings

  Old Blood

  The Dex Files

  Into the Hollow

  And With Madness Comes the Light

  Come Alive

  Ashes to Ashes

  Dust to Dust

  STANDALONE

  Donners of the Dead

  To Kelly, my “almost” famous Kiwi

  Glossary of Māori Terms

  hāngi: refers to an open-air pit in which food is cooked, as well as the food prepared in the pit and the social gathering or meal during which the food is eaten.

  hongi: a traditional greeting in which noses are pressed together.

  iwi: a tribe.

  Kia ora: an informal greeting that means “hello” or “be well.”

  marae: a gathering place for meetings and celebrations.

  pākehā: a person who is not of Māori ancestry, especially one of European descent.

  pāua: a large abalone and the shell used to make jewelry.

  tā moko: permanent face markings, distinct from tattoos.

  tapu: sacred or forbidden.

  whānau: family, especially extended family.

  Chapter One

  VANCOUVER, CANADA

  JOSH

  I get an erection the moment I first lay eyes on her. She looks like no one I’ve ever seen before. Tall, curvy, with thick superhero thighs and a round ass, showcased in black Lycra that hugs every slope. Her big, high breasts and small waist are accentuated by her white tank top. Her body has just enough meat for me to grab a good hold of, and I imagine running my hands over her hills and valleys. I want to imagine more than that, but I’m horny as hell as it is and my erection is already inappropriate, considering I’m in public and all.

  She finally looks my way, aware that I’ve been staring like an idiot. She catches my gaze, her eyes twinkling a vibrant yellow, her pupils large and wet. She smirks at me, causing a shower of glitter to rain from her cheeks, and brushes her purple hair over her shoulder before she bends over to slide a gun out from the harness strapped to her boot.

  I try not to stare into the blinding sun of her tanned cleavage. I try to think of something clever to say to her. Something along the lines of, I think I know who you are, but shouldn’t you have one eyeball instead of two?

  But it’s she who comes over to me, gun comfortably in her hand, and stops only a foot away. When she smiles at me, I see fangs.

  Now I’m really confused. At least I know what to say now.

  “Who are you?” I ask her, happy that my voice is hard and deep. I hope it makes her think of sex.

  She raises a perfect brow, and up close I’m struck by how bronzed her skin tone is. I don’t think it’s makeup. Not many people in Vancouver manage to keep their tan into the fall.

  “You don’t know?” she asks. She has an accent. I immediately want to say she’s from England but that’s not it. It’s not Australia either.

  “I thought I did,” I say. “But your eyes and fangs are throwing me all off.”

  “I’m vampire Leela, from Futurama.”

  I grin at her, happy that I was half-right. “Shouldn’t you just have one eyeball then?”

  She reaches into her other boot and effortlessly pulls out an eye mask. It’s painted white, with a black pupil in the middle. She waves it at me. “I put it on for photos but I can barely see out of it. I walked into a wall, twice.” She raises two fingers for emphasis. “I figured I’ll just be a vampire the rest of the time.”

  I can seriously listen to her talk all day. “I don’t remember any episode where Leela turned into a vampire.” Maybe it hinted at my secret nerd-boy status, but I watched the cartoon Futurama religiously.

  She wets her lips for a moment and I try my hardest not to adjust my boxer briefs underneath my costume. “I like to think she’ll become a vampire in future episodes. Or maybe she was one once and Matt Groening scrapped the idea. I believe characters have more to their lives than the lives we are shown.”

  “Kind of like people,” I say, hoping I come across as somewhat profound.

  She gives me a slight nod—indicating I’m not as profound as I thought—and looks me up and down. “I just had to come over here to tell you you’re the best-dressed guy here. I mean, that must have taken some effort.”

  I grin at her. “Game of Thrones fan?” I ask.

  Another sly nod. “Of course. But who doesn’t love Khal Drogo?”

  “Last year I dressed up as George R.R. Martin,” I tell her. “People kept mistaking me for Ernest Hemingway, even though I was carrying a bucket of fried chicken around with me and had a pillow stuffed down my shirt.”

  “So you went for something sexier . . .” she says as she lets her eyes trail over my body, which automatically makes me stand up straighter. I haven’t left much to the imagination. Jesus sandals, weird billowy pants that I think some granola dude dropped off at the thrift store, plus a leather corset over my abs and leather cuffs on my forearms. My upper body is bare and covered with bronzer and streaks of blue paint, and I found a black wig with a long braid down the back. It kind of works. I guess if you don’t know the show, I look like some sparkling warrior who wears too much eye makeup.

  “Hey, girls can’t be the only ones to slut it up at Halloween.”

  She raises her brow.

  And once again, my foot goes in my mouth. “I mean, not that you’re dressed slutty or anything, I just mean—”

  She laughs. “Don’t worry about it,” she says with a wave of her hand. “Everyone here is dressed slutty. That’s what the holiday is about, isn’t it? Pretending to be someone else? This is actually my first Halloween, so I’m feeling a little overdressed. Or super nerdy.” She looks around her at the drunk girls—referees and fairies and nurses in wonderfully indecent outfits—and shrugs.

  “I wholeheartedly disagree,” I say, trying not to ogle her all over again. I pause. “Wait, your first Halloween?”

  “First proper Halloween. The North American kind. We don’t really celebrate it the way you guys do.”

  I cross my arms, insanely curious now. “And who is we?”

  “New Zealand,” she says. “I’m from Auckland.”

  “Nice,” I say. “I was going to ask if you were from New Zealand.”

  Her lips twitch and she gives me a shake of her head. “No you weren’t.”

  “Well, I definitely wasn’t going to ask if you were from Australia. I know h
ow you’d feel about that.”

  For a moment her features look strained, then it passes. “Kind of like if I asked if you were American.”

  “Exactly.”

  “So,” she muses and steps closer. She lays her hand on my bicep and I suck in my breath. “Are the tattoos real?” She removes her hand and peers at her palm, which is streaked with bronze shimmer shit. “Because your tan sure isn’t.”

  Damn, I hope I’m not blushing. I clear my throat. “The tattoos are real, I assure you. I needed a bit of, um, help to get that Dothraki tan going on.”

  “And this?” She reaches for my face and I am frozen in place while she gently fingers my goatee and beard. She grabs the end of it, which I had attempted to braid, and gives it a little tug.

  “Ouch,” I say, though it doesn’t really hurt. It turns me on instead. Big surprise.

  “So it is real,” she says. She sounds impressed.

  I shrug. “I had a month to grow it in. I say, it’s all or nothing. But tomorrow everything is getting shaved off.”

  She frowns and lets go. “Pity. I love a scruffy guy.”

  I can’t help but smile. “Lucky for you, I’m scruffy for at least twelve more hours.”

  Her mouth twists into a wry smile. I realize I’m being kind of forward with her, but at the same time she just felt my biceps and fondled my man hair. Then again, I’ve never been very good at reading women. Half of them seem to love my tats and black hair and piercings; the other half seem to think I’m a delinquent from skid row.

  I’m wondering what she thinks about me when I realize I don’t know her name.

  “I’m Josh, by the way,” I say to her, holding out my hand.

  She gives me a surprisingly firm shake in return. “Gemma.”

  “That’s a beautiful name,” I tell her. Even though I’m sincere, I’m aware that it’s very much a pickup line.

  Gemma snorts and it’s absolutely adorable. “Right. Well, in New Zealand, Gemmas are everywhere.”

  “But I bet they don’t look like you.” Okay, so now I’m totally swerving into pickup line territory. I push it further. “Can I buy you a drink?”

  And there the question sits, floating between us along with the haze of pot smoke that hangs in the air. The rejection might come fast, or if I’m lucky, not at all. But it’s Halloween, I have a three-beer buzz going on, and I’m feeling pretty good.

  Still, when she nods and says “Sure,” I feel my whole body lift with relief.

  We make our way through the crowd to the makeshift bar set up in the corner. It’s a house party we’re at, one I try and go to every year. My friend Tobias rents the whole house with three other dudes who go to the University of British Columbia nearby, and every Halloween they go all out with mind-fuck decorations, elaborate costumes, and a haunted house in the basement. This year they even applied for a liquor license since last year ended with a police raid and all of us running for our lives down the street.

  While we get in line behind a guy dressed as a one-night stand (complete with a lampshade head) and a girl dressed as some Disney princess, I ask her, “So, Gemma from New Zealand, how did you hear about the party?”

  She fixes her yellow eyes on me and I wish she could take out her contacts so I could see their real color. I’m assuming they’re brown, based on her skin tone, and I feel like I could get lost in them if she’d let me.

  “At the backpacker’s hostel I’m staying at. I made friends with the guy who works the front desk,” she says, and I can’t help but feel my entire back bristle. A guy? Of course she’d be here with a guy. “He invited me and another backpacker but I haven’t seen them all night.” Her eyes sweep the room then come back to me, sparkling knowingly. “Not that I’m surprised; she’s from Holland and has legs up to here.” She makes a slicing motion with her hand across her neck. “He obviously wanted to shag her.”

  “Maybe he wanted to shag the both of you,” I say and then try not to wince.

  She gives me an exasperated look but still smiles. She has the cutest dimples. “Maybe. But I don’t like to share. My parents never taught me to play very well with my toys.”

  “Sup, Drogo,” the bartender says. I swivel my head and eye him, slightly annoyed at being interrupted. He’s dressed as a hot dog.

  “Sup, dog,” I say. “Is that costume supposed to be a hint or something?”

  He nods, completely deadpan, which only makes it funnier considering there’s just a small cutout for his face in the wall of wiener. “It’s a complete metaphorical representation of my penis, if that’s what you mean.”

  Gemma laughs. “You Canadians talk about your dicks a lot.”

  I casually lean one arm against the bar top. “Well, have you seen our dicks? It’s a point of pride for our country.”

  “No, actually, I haven’t,” she says and a million clever follow-ups flow through my head. Unfortunately, half of them are serious propositions so I don’t dare say them.

  “Oh really,” the hot dog says, beating me to it. “You know, that can be arranged.”

  “I’m sure it can,” she says sweetly but her eyes are telling him not to bother. “Could I get a beer please? None of that Molson Canadian stuff, though. Do you have any craft brew?”

  The hot dog plucks a bottle of Granville Island Winter Ale from the ice chest and plunks it on the counter. “Seven dollars.”

  I sigh and order one for myself, fishing out my money from a small leather satchel around my waist that I thought maybe Khal Drogo would use when he wasn’t slicing people’s arms off. “I thought the point of a house party was to have cheap booze.”

  He shrugs, apparently hearing that complaint all night. “Blame government regulation. Still better than being stuck at some bullshit club downtown.”

  He has that right.

  “Mojo” by Peeping Tom suddenly comes on over the speakers and the rolling beat of one of my favorite songs gives me another boost of confidence. I’m about to suggest to Gemma that we find somewhere to sit, maybe in another room, when she asks if I want to go to the roof deck.

  I can’t help but oblige.

  “It might be still raining,” I tell her as we squeeze through the crowd of people and up the carpeted stairs to the second floor. “It’s almost winter here, remember.”

  “Nah, I love the rain,” she answers.

  “Then you should seriously consider moving here.” Suddenly there’s a bit of traffic near the door to the roof and she stops in front of me. I’m pressed up against her ass and it’s like I’ve gone to heaven. It’s so firm and round that I’m starting to think that she’s magic. Of course, I’m also growing harder by the second and I know, I know, she can feel the magician’s wand.

  I cringe inwardly. I really don’t want to be one of those guys. In fact, I start thinking that perhaps I need to apologize for my public displays of erection but she actually presses her ass back into me. It was subtle but it was there.

  Before I drown in over-analysis of the moment, the foot traffic moves forward again and suddenly there is space and we find ourselves up on the flat roof of the building.The air is sharp, cold, and damp, but I have enough alcohol in me that I don’t mind the chill. It’s stopped raining. There are a few dripping lawn chairs scattered about and scantily clad girls shivering in their costumes, trying to puff down their cigarettes or joints.

  In the distance, you can see the dark mass of English Bay peppered with tankers and the night-skiing lights of Grouse Mountain. The glass high-rises of downtown Vancouver twinkle and set the low clouds an electric shade of orange.

  Gemma grabs my hand and leads me to the edge of the roof, away from everyone else. Her grip is strong but her hand warm and soft, and before I can give it a squeeze, she lets go. She leans against the railing, not caring if her arms get cold and wet, and stares out at the view.

  “I do h
ave to say, I always thought Auckland one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but Vancouver has totally blown it away,” she muses wistfully, her eyes roaming the cityscape.

  “How long are you here for?”

  She sighs. “Not long enough. Ten days.”

  “Did you go to Whistler?”

  She smiles. “So I could be surrounded by Aussies and other Kiwis? I was there for a day. Nice place. But we have mountains like that back home.”

  I ask her if she was in other parts of Canada and she tells me she originally got a work permit because she wanted to live and work on Prince Edward Island out east.

  I laugh. “Really? Why? You a fan of Anne of Green Gables?”

  In the dark, it’s hard to tell if she’s blushing. “Actually, yes.”

  “That’s cute.”

  “Shut up.” But she’s smiling and brushing her hair off her shoulder. “Anyway, work was hard to find there. I guess all the summer jobs were filled, so after a while I had to move on. Went to Nova Scotia, Quebec, Toronto.” I scrunch my nose at the last city and she rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, you guys with your rivalry. Then I went down into the States for a few months. Boston, New York. Flew to New Orleans, drove through the Southwest, then onto California. Disneyland.” Her eyes light up at that one. “San Francisco. Took a backpacker bus up the Oregon coast, spent some time in Seattle, and now I’m here, flying out tomorrow.”

  “And you did all of this by yourself?” I ask incredulously.

  She purses her lips and nods. “Yeah. Why not?”

  “You sound a lot like my sister,” I say.

  She frowns. “That’s not exactly what you want to hear from someone you find attractive.”

  I stare at her for a few beats, making sure I heard that right. I try not to grin, but I can’t help it.

  “Attractive?” I repeat.

  “Oh, I’ve gone and given you a big ego, haven’t I?”

  “Sweetheart, I already had a big ego,” I admit, still smiling. “And I don’t mean I think you’re just like my sister, Vera. It’s just that she went overseas to Europe last year—Spain, actually—by herself and now she’s living there. It’s just . . .” I try and think of the word, “brave, that’s all. Everyone else I know goes and travels in groups and pairs.”