Lines of molten gold forked through his skin—no, not liquid gold, but actual lava. Had to be. Heat flowed from him, his body like a furnace. Plus, she’d witnessed him blowing fire out of his mouth, an image branded into her mind.

Nola marveled at him. A real-life superhero.

Before her trip to Russia, she would have cowered before a man like this. Such fury! Here, now, the beastly warrior enthralled her. He is mine to command.

No, no, no. Stupid dark side! I’m no one’s master. He’s mine to admire.

“A combatant has just arrived on the island.” He scanned the beach. “Stay here, and stay hidden. I’ll deal with the threat.”

Her blood did that flash freeze thing. What if Zion had come here looking for her, thinking to save her? “Did every combatant attend the same ‘how to put the little woman in her place’ seminar? Never mind.” Words left her in a rush. “I agree to your terms. With one—two exceptions. You must agree we can revisit our negotiation at any time, and for now, you can’t kill Zion or Knox until the end, either.”

Slowly, with lethal precision, Bane turned to face her. Those flamed-filled eyes promised pain and death, his body vibrating with aggression. “You make me want to kill Zion faster.”

All doubts fled. He was jealous. Smiling, she twisted a lock of hair and rocked from side to side. He might not want to like her, or care for her, but he already did.

“What?” he demanded, staring daggers at her. Then splashing sounds registered, and his attention whipped toward the water. Snarls left him. “Our visitor is Union. He casts illusions, so you cannot trust anything you see. He wears a belt that doubles his strength, allowing him to break multiple bones in your body with a single punch. You aren’t to approach him.” Giving her a little push toward the jungle, he said, “In this, there is no reason good enough to disobey me.”

Nola dug in her heels, saying, “If he casts illusions, how will you know what’s real and what isn’t?”

He tapped the goggles perched atop his head. “With these, I can see through anything. Now go. Hide. And Nola? If I transform into the beast, you are to teleport from this island. I will find you, I swear it.”

Had she been strong like his wife, he might have asked her to fight at his side. They could have protected each other! But Nola wasn’t that kind of warrior woman, and she’d never rushed headlong into anything, especially danger.

These guys were trained to kill. Heck, they lived to kill. Her skills revolved around a three-week self-defense course. She would be a hindrance, maybe even a distraction, endangering Bane further. On the other hand, if she hid, he would think her weak again.