The volleyball arched high and gracefully over the net towards the golden-haired woman and her teammate. It didn’t care much that it existed in an underground cavern under fake lights, or even that more eyes were on it than the participants scampering below in yet another weak attempt to return it to its current state. It didn’t care that the chisel jawed human on the slight rise some distance away was paying almost stalker-like attention to it. That was normal… or at least should be.

  It certainly wasn’t surprised when the male human popped it back up, and the odd, golden-haired female leapt up to attempt to spike it into the sand on the other side. It almost laughed as she came up short, providing the volleyball a chance to get a very close look at her startled face before ending up in the sand. Life was good.

  “Are you okay,” Mac asked his teammate. “That looked like it hurt.”

  “I’m fine,” Olivia flipped the ball towards Natalia to serve again, only it went over her head and she had to chase after it.

  “I can see that.”

  “I thought you were better,” Olivia accused him.

  “I thought I popped that up pretty good. You could have set it for me.”

  “So, you could whiff it again?”

  “I need the ball above the net to be able to spike it,” Mac tried to be nice. “Why don’t we just focus on getting the ball over.” The troll had yet to land a spike anywhere close to inbounds which was the only thing keeping the game close. Of course, Mac was getting tired chasing after it. At least it hadn’t gone in the water… yet. Maybe…

  “Haley,” he whispered under his breath to the beautiful AI girl sitting by a pole holding up the net. At some point she had given up the ballgown and re-assumed her usual sundress and floppy hat. “A little help, please?”

  “So, now you want my help?” she replied airily.

  “I’m getting tired of chasing the ball and missing Natalia’s spikes,” Mac replied under his breath.

  “Me, too,” Olivia replied as she stepped up beside him. How had she heard him?

  Mac made sure to keep the next comment completely sub-vocal, “Just help out, will you.”

  “Say you need me,” Haley insisted.

  Mac resisted the urge to roll his eyes as Natalia prepared to serve again.

  “Say it.”

  “I need you, Haley,” Mac replied subvocally.

  “Out loud.”

  The volleyball arced towards Olivia’s area.

  “No, thank you,” Mac replied in his mind.

  “Fine. Do it yourself.”

  Olivia bumped the serve weakly back up and away into the air at a bad angle. Mac dove at it earning himself a mouthful of sand, but at least he had saved it. Mercifully, the ball came down far enough back that Olivia had no choice but to bump it back over. He could do this himself.

  Natalia easily set the ball near the net, and Grist went up for a spike even as Mac regained his feet. There was a sharp crack as the ball briefly broke the sound barrier… again. Mac felt the impact on his chest and was knocked back to the ground as the ball sailed off towards the shed forcing Natalia to run after it. He could have sworn he heard some loose rocks falling somewhere.

  “That was right to you,” Olivia held her hands out helplessly and shook her head at Mac.

  Mac took a calming breath, considered the humiliation in front of the woman he was failing to impress and gave in. “I need you.”

  “I need you, Haley,” the AI corrected with her nose up and arms crossed, not that Mac could see her while on his back.

  “I need you, Haley,” he tried again.

  “Finally,” the AI smiled as she stood up.

  “Are you seeing things, Mac?” Olivia asked as she put her hands on her hips and looked down at him.

  “After the hit I just took. Who wouldn’t,” Mac blinked back the stars and rubbed his forehead with an open palm.

  “I’m sure I heard you muttering for help,” Olivia raised a haughty eyebrow, “but that ball was clearly aimed at you.”

  “Yep, it was,” Mac asserted, then lifted his shirt to check himself for damage and hopefully show off his abs to the beautiful woman now paying him attention.

  “That’s quite a mark,” Olivia commented about the wide red spot on his chest as she leaned in for a closer look at not his abs. “I can even make out the lettering from the ball. You’ll probably want to keep your shirt on for a few weeks.”

  “Now, if you’re done being lazy, get off your rear and stand up,” she even held out a hand.

  Mac graciously reached back to take it, and pulled the golden-haired woman who seemed totally unprepared right down on top of him with a surprised yelp. Not about to be hit in the chest again, Mac instinctively reached for her waist with his other hand and did his best to roll her to the ground as softly as he could. This resulted in him awkwardly straddling her with one palm against the sand beside her head with the back of his hand covered in her golden curls.

  The look in Olivia’s golden eyes reminded Mac of the awe a little brother might show when his older brother beats the impossible boss in the new game. That was swiftly replaced by shock, followed close on its heels by dread who decided to settle in and make himself comfortable as the rest of her just simply froze.

  “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…” Olivia mumbled as her voice trembled.

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  “I’m so sorry,” Mac apologized, wondering if he had just accidently paralyzed her. “Are you okay? I thought you were…”

  “I, I submit,” she raised her open hands to her heart-shaped face like a terrified puppy, “Please, may I stand up?”

  Mac used the hand not beside her head and raised it to his chest in relief. She was okay, if he’d allowed such a beautiful woman to get hurt trying to offer assistance, Mac doubted he would be able to forgive himself.

  “That troll way,” Grist commented appreciatively from what sounded like overhead. “Use sneak grab and roll to catch.”

  “Wait?! What?” Mac straightened up on his knees. Olivia maintained her submissive posture in case it was just a feint. The human, if that’s what he really was, was completely unpredictable.

  “Form a bit off, but not bad for first try.” Then Grist clarified, “Need to strike head on ground to daze a bit.”

  Mac abruptly stood to his feet and braced himself before reaching down to offer a hand to Olivia. She blushed and looked away, but she did very cautiously accept his assistance.

  “Allow me…” Mac stated before dusting the sand off the back of her light blue tank.

  That froze her yet again with her mangled nails stretched out like a startled cat at her sides. The… human? was now assisting in grooming her. If her siblings ever found out… If something or someone could just distract his attentions…

  “Hey Grist,” Natalia called as she finally got close enough to be heard while jogging back.

  Mac had to consciously remind himself to look away from her gently bouncing figure as she ran. Nothing good could come of falling for the vampire. He needed to make sure he saw her as a friend and not the dark-haired, reasonably-endowed, gorgeous beauty she was. Besides, he was here on a date with Olivia... who he had just nearly injured… and was now visibly shaken, if not still shaking.

  “What?” Grist asked good naturedly.

  “While I was on my little expedition I got an idea,” Natalia offered as she got closer.

  “Why not just work really hard at aiming for one spot, like when you were flicking those dinner rolls into your mouth earlier. Don’t try to crush it, just try to put it where it needs to go,” she courteously used small words for him.

  “Are you sure?” Grist asked his teammate. “We need strength to win.”

  “Just try it a few times,” Natalia reached up to put a comforting hand on the squatting troll’s shoulder.

  The troll nodded thoughtfully then replied, “Will try.”

  “Glad to hear that,” the chisel-jawed Joe Campbell asserted from beside the fake trees. How long had he been standing there?

  “You two-leggers are making a lot of noise,” the annoying man noted. “There are people here trying to sleep.”

  “It’s only a little after dinner,” Natalia countered.

  “Have you ever heard of early shift?” Joe countered. “Or dead people, and what about all your teammates that are recovering from those… whatever-they-weres in the lake over there? As impressive as it is to create a miniature sonic boom. It might not be a wise thing to do… in a deep cave… with heavy rocks and stuff overhead. It sounds like a gunshot. I’ll bet you’ve probably got the entire security team on edge.”

  “Grist will try be soft,” the troll gently reminded Joe of the new plan with Natalia, “but no lose.”

  “Glad to hear it, Champ,” Joe stepped over to pat the troll’s shoulder patronizingly. In what was probably a small miracle, Grist allowed him to walk away in one piece.

  “How ‘bout I ref for you four?” Joe began climbing up the ref’s stand without even waiting for an answer. He wouldn’t be obligated to chase the wayward balls if he was stationed there.

  “Not that we need it, but okay,” Natalia acquiesced if for no other reason than to avoid a fruitless argument with a known idiot.

  “Great!” Joe finished his climb and swept off some dried zombie bits left on the cushion before sitting down. “Let’s do this.”

  Natalia served another high and easy to return ball that Olivia once again turned into a mad scramble for Mac on the second touch. He got there… just, and Olivia bumped it over the net with a quick glance that seemed to check for his approval.

  Mac smiled and nodded. What else could he do?

  The ease with which Natalia set Grist up for a spike on the second touch was just unfair. She must have been a setter in high school. But, the power spike didn’t occur this time. It was just a sharp tap to the back corner. Mac could almost feel Haley taking over limb control as he launched himself backwards with a grunt. It was just enough to give Olivia a chance to set the ball.

  Mac was on his feet before he knew it and rushing the net. He leapt for the spike only to find two large arms in front him. The ball ricocheted back in his general direction and out under the mercifully nearby line of trees.

  “Good job, Champ,” Joe Campbell called as Olivia dashed after the ball even though she was further away.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be impartial?” Mac objected.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be better?”

  “Were those bubbles in the lake?” Natalia pointed toward the dark water before Mac could return verbal fire.

  “Couldn’t be,” Joe dismissed her without even looking. “It’s dead water.”

  “Heads up, Breathless!” Olivia called as she underhanded the ball back to Natalia’s general area.

  The vampire turned and expertly scooped it up off the first bounce.

  “Serve!” Joe urged even as he cast a short nervous glance towards the lake.

  Another serve, another failed return, this time out of bounds and into the lake, “I’m sorry, Mac,” Olivia apologized while Grist bravely jumped into the dark water after the ball. “I’ll try to do better.”

  “Are you… feeling okay?” Mac asked. He had never heard the golden-haired girl apologize before.

  “I’m still learning.”

  “I know that, you’re doing the best you can,” Mac accidentally reached out to pat her head before he could stop himself. You could lose a hand that way.

  Olivia’s head shrunk back, but she endured it with a grimace she unsuccessfully tried to pass off as a smile. It was going to be a long evening.

  XXXXX

  “So let me get this straight,” Olivia questioned the troll. “You saw three people under the water of the lake and you didn’t tell us until now.”

  “Why would Grist tell?”

  “Because no one is supposed to be in the water. It’s dangerous!” Olivia replied with visible frustration in her golden eyes.

  “Grist in lake to get ball,” the troll was still confused.

  “Yes,” Olivia forced herself to remain calm as she chewed out the troll that was twice her height and probably six times her weight. The children had been learning to make cookies lately. “You were out there on the surface, briefly getting the ball.” She glanced at Mac as if looking for approval. He just nodded.

  “They were probably… just part of the security staff doing a routine check,” Joe offered. “Maybe Safety Ed was… uh… tied up or something and sent them.”

  “If that had been the case, there would have been someone left back on shore,” Olivia countered. She knew the protocols better than most. “Have any of you seen anyone sitting near the edge of the lake since we got here?”

  “We’re here,” Joe unhelpfully pointed out for everyone.

  “But we didn’t know they were there,” Olivia emphasized. Mac didn’t add anything so she kept going, “That is not how HeHeHe does things. Always in squads, teams and buddies. Grist, would you check the water again… carefully. I need to know if they are still there.”

  The massive troll slid into the water without so much as a splash. He could move like a cat when he wanted.

  Olivia allowed one eye to glance up at the roof of the cavern as she considered the next move. Why would anyone try to sneak into Cave Inn. Maybe a local had reported the battle suit exercises. But that was the kind of thing to scare people away. Certainly, nobody knew that he was here or worse that he was injured and in a hospital bed. Good thing Joe had pulled him out of that when he did or she might have had to sacrifice that scruffy elf who was so useful other-wise.

  “Grist no see soul,” the troll called back over the water.

  Maybe they were after something even more diabolical…

  “Joe,” Olivia pointed at the stupid and rude, but otherwise reliable human. “I want you to RUN to the security building and alert them that we may have trespassers in the area. I’m going to check on my future center.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Mac stated. “I can pick up Zach for the evening when we get there.” It wasn’t like the date was going anywhere he hoped.

  “Grist come, too,” the troll offered as he swam back to the shore. “Run make dry. Pick up my girl, too.”

  “I’m not about to be left beside this lake alone,” Natalia seemed rather adamant, “and I’m certainly not going anywhere with yoga pants man.”

  “I heard that,” Joe called back. “They’re made from Lycra.”

  “Just hurry,” Olivia urged them as she dashed off toward the future center with the others in tow.