I looked up. Telling him to leave well enough alone almost tumbled from my mouth, but his eyes stopped me. There was nothing I could say that would stop him from punishing Marshall. The man was as good as dead.
He relaxed when I reluctantly nodded.
“There were some things that I was pleased about,” he said with a slight smile.
“Like what?”
“That I’m the first, well I can’t exactly say man, but you know what I mean, being, you’ve ever kissed. I thought a beautiful girl like you would have had a dozen boyfriends in the past, and I was jealous of them all,” he said significantly, narrowing his eyes on me.
“I wish I could say the same for you,” I muttered, looking away.
His fingers dug into my shoulders as he pulled me to him.
“You have to believe me that those events were nothing to me. I was never intimate with a woman when I was human. Everything changed the day I was awakened. I didn’t experience the emotions of love or tenderness. It was basic physical need and nothing more.”
“Yeah, there was a lot of needing going on.” I still wouldn’t look him in the eye. He became frustrated, giving me a little shake.
He softly grasped my chin, and angled it to him. Leaning in, he spoke just above a whisper and very slowly, as if he were trying to cement the words into my skull. “Let me explain to you about my kind. There is something called a bonding that happens to us when we fall in love. I’ve known others who bonded, and I envied them. But I’ve never experienced that kind of feeling toward any female before. I figured that I was doomed to spend my life relatively alone, with the occasional fling. But then you came along, and changed everything.”
His eyes searched mine and he implored fiercely, “You must have seen that in my mind?”
He had me there. I did see it and I knew what he was saying was true. He had never loved or even liked any of the others. He’d just used them. The thing that bothered me was that he would have them to compare me to. Who could live up to that?
Heat spread across my cheeks and I quickly searched for an escape route.
“Did sucking my blood make you hungry for my soul?”
He bowed his head and took a deep breath. When he looked back up solemnly, I regretted being so rude.
“I’ve never wanted to feed on your soul. From the first moment I first laid eyes on you, I only had primitive desires to worry about.”
I looked away.
“So you’re not interested in my offer then?”
Immediately his hands were on my shoulders again and he was pulling me closer to him.
He whispered into my ear, “I was afraid that after you saw my past, the things I did, that you’d take back the gift you offered. Are you sure this is what you want, Ember, to be with me?”
“Well, it’s not as if we’re getting married or anything like that. I need to take things slow, not as fast and furious as your Demon girlfriends.”
A laugh exploded from his lips. I worried that he’d wake Ila and Ivan, but the sound was short lived. He smashed his face to mine, kissing me with more passion than ever before. How could each kiss keep getting better? At some point it would have to level out. If it didn’t, I wouldn’t survive the improvements.
His mouth moved on mine and I responded like a seasoned veteran. My body was on fire, but not from the power. All the horrible events of the past few days melted away into oblivion. It was just Sawyer and me on the couch, alone in the world.
He eased his body alongside mine, adjusting his muscled arm beneath my head. It was a hard pillow, but it smelled good, making me feel as if pine needles and the forest floor were beneath me. He jerked the quilt off the back of the couch and arranged it over the top of us. I certainly wasn’t cold, but it was a nice gesture.
Just when I thought we were settling down for the night, he breathed softly onto my face, making my head spin. A gasp escaped my lips. When he heard the sound, he held me even tighter, and his hand slid down my side, slipping under my shirt.
My body really didn’t want his hand to stop, but my mind stiffened, causing him to snort softly before resting his hand on my stomach. I began to breathe again as he tenderly swirled his fingers in place, almost tickling, but not quite. He brought his head down and nuzzled my neck. And that’s where his face stayed, against the pulsing warmth of my skin.
Within minutes, he was breathing deep, slow breaths. I didn’t worry about him trying anything at that point. He seemed perfectly content to be sleeping alongside me. And amazingly, I wasn’t concerned about him waking in the middle of the night for a snack of my soul either.
Right when my thoughts were becoming heavy and sleep was near, a vision of a burning city appeared in my mind. A tall building that had a summit that looked as if it was a glass tiara toppled in slow motion. A group of children, led by an elderly woman, were engulfed in flames on a city street. The football stadium exploded, and the river beside it suddenly swelled, sending a giant wave over a boat that Timmy and Chloe stood on, sweeping them into the churning, debris filled water.
I know that city.
Opening my eyes, I stared into the quiet darkness with shaky breaths.
The safety of Sawyer’s arms and the warmth of Ila’s cabin were only temporary.
I snuggled deeper into Sawyer.
Ila was right. I had to enjoy life while I could. There wasn’t much time left.
Luke 2:9
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Sawyer ~ Forty-Two
I woke from a dreamless sleep with Ember’s warm body cuddled against me. Her hair smelled of vanilla shampoo, and I inhaled deeply, letting the scent fill my nostrils.
It was a very nice way to wake up.
The rain had quit, and early morning light shone through the windows, bringing with it cooler, cleaner air. There were quiet shuffling and tapping sounds coming from the kitchen. I figured Ila was preparing breakfast. Normally, I didn’t just figure things, I checked them out, but I was extremely comfortable at the moment and not overly concerned with the goings on in the other side of the room.
Angus was acting the sentry a few feet away. He sat erect, watching me. The expression on his face was different, the hostility of before was absent. I took a chance and disengaged my arm from Ember, holding my hand out to the dog.
“Angus, come here boy,” I whispered, knowing the dog would have no trouble hearing me. I didn’t want to wake Ember up on a hunch.
Angus tilted his head, considering. After a few seconds he got up and walked slowly over. When his nose was about a foot away, he stretched out his neck to me. The hair on his back was down and his tail was still. I waited, wondering if I’d have any fingers left when it was over. His cool nose brushed my fingertips and then he stepped closer, putting his head beneath my hand.
I began to pet him softly, and when he accepted my touch, I moved my hand more vigorously on his head. He panted and his tail thumped against the side of the couch. I was happily confused. What had brought on Angus’ change of heart?
Possibly the guardianship of Ember had something to do with it. Regardless of the reason, I was thoroughly elated that for the first time in a century and a half, I was petting a dog. What a glorious feeling when deprived of the simple pleasure for so long.
“I’m glad the two of you have finally made friends. It was starting to stress me out.” Ember yawned.
I took my hand back from the dog. Angus looked annoyed that I’d stopped petting him, but I had something better to touch. I wrapped my arms around Ember, squeezing her. The knowledge that she was mine to hold and caress made it feel like Christmas morning—another activity I hadn’t experienced in forever. The thought that she’d accepted me after everything she saw during the ceremony made me love her all the more.
Yes, I loved this human—Watcher—with all my heart.
She lifted her head, and I couldn’t resis
t brushing my lips against hers. She returned the kiss for too short of a time before she began wiggling for freedom. I didn’t want her to leave.
In a hushed voice at her ear, I said, “Where do you think you’re going?”
It was Ila who answered. “She’s getting up so she can make it to school on time,” she said the words with a grunt as she stood over the back of the couch. When Ember heard the old woman’s voice, she shot out a blast of heat that forced me to let go, and she bounded away.
“You’re kidding! I don’t want to go to school today. I’m so tired and I can’t think straight.” She looked at Ila with a pitiful expression that I hoped she never used on me. Otherwise, I was a goner.
It worked on Ila as well. “All right, Ember, you can stay home today and rest. But tomorrow, you’re going to school.”
Ember grinned at me triumphantly.
“Where’s Ivan,” Ember asked Ila.
“He’s still asleep. His kind uses an enormous amount of energy to change and they tend to sleep long periods when they get the opportunity.” Ila placed a plate of pancakes onto the table.
Ember went to help her and I sat up on the couch rubbing my eyes. As much as I didn’t want to do it, I needed to go back to the compound and talk to Charlotte, Colten, Patrick, and especially Horas. They’d been my friends for a long time and I had to tell them I was leaving. At this point they might even think I was dead. After the discovery of the ashes in the woods and Kimberly and Donnelly missing, they would figure out that a magical being was involved. Whether Garrett would know that Watchers did the damage was anyone’s guess at this point, but I was betting that he’d find out soon enough.
I wondered what the Demons would do about it. Their numbers had shrunk by four in a period of a few days and that would have Garrett up in arms. I was thankful that Ila had her own protection around the valley. Ember was safe here, and Ivan, too.
When I glanced around and saw Ember slicing apples alongside Ila, I felt an ache in my heart. I didn’t want to leave her, even for a brief time. But I had to.
I rose, grabbing my jacket off the chair. “Ember, did you leave your truck parked on the falls trail?”
“Oh, my God, I forgot all about it.”
Her reaction was humorous. Her hands were on her temples and her eyes were bugging out.
“Why don’t you give me your keys, and I’ll go get it for you.”
Her face turned quickly to suspicion. “I’ll go with you.”
“No. I’ll run the whole way and you won’t be able to keep up, unless I carried you, which might distract me from my purpose,” I said in a smooth voice.
It worked. Her face reddened, and to hide the fact, she went into the bedroom to retrieve the keys.
“Can’t you wait until later, after breakfast?” she asked in a pleading way when she returned. I didn’t want to refuse her, but I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on breakfast with my mind elsewhere. The two Watchers would definitely know something was up. Better just to be done with it.
“I’m worried someone will find it and questions will be raised. The last thing we need is the local yahoos harassing us.” I crossed the room and quickly kissed her forehead. She pouted up at me, but didn’t say anything. Ila gave me a curious look before I left the cabin. I hated lying to them, but it was for a good cause. I needed answers and hanging out here in paradise wasn’t getting me any.
I picked up speed quickly and was out of the valley in no time. The morning was crisp, perfect weather for an early run through the trees. Too bad I wasn’t doing it for leisure. At least the hot weather seemed to have finally passed. As I ran, I imagined what it would be like to have Ember’s heat keeping me warm during the winter months. That put a smile on my face as I made my way to the compound. The further I got from Ember, the bigger the ache in my heart grew. I could physically feel the separation, and I hated it. I almost turned back twice, but I knew I’d have to do this eventually, and it would probably be even harder the more time I spent with her.
Not knowing what kind of reception I’d receive, I became increasingly more cautious, slowing to a walk when I entered Garrett’s territory. Fear pricked me, but too late when I spun around. The huge mountain lion was crouched a few yards away. Its tail flicked back and forth, its eyes were hungry. Fighting such a creature would be difficult indeed, but not impossible for me. I decided to try diplomacy first.
“What’s going on, Cray? Cat got your tongue?”
An explosion of color and the feline man was standing before me. “I’m the one who should be asking you what’s going on—everyone’s been out looking for you,” he said quietly with a twist to his mouth that told me that he was extremely satisfied. Everything the cat did was sneaky. Even the tone of his speech could not be trusted.
“I’ve been spending some time in the woods alone. No one ever missed me on my other excursions.”
“That was before two of ours were put to the fire.” He waited for me to reply, and then asked, “Don’t you want to know who they were? Or maybe you already do.”
There was a hint of accusation in his words. I’d have to play along. “Who was it and what the hell happened?”
“It was Donnelly, and your plaything, Kimberly. I’m not sure if they’ve discovered what exactly happened to them yet. I’ve been out here searching for you all night, and I’ve found interesting scents in the forest,” he said the last part in a long hiss.
I had no time for the cat. I turned and headed for the compound. To my chagrin, Cray followed close behind me. I still had a chance to get away with just the cat shadowing me, but once inside the compound, there would be too many to fight.
My muscles coiled. I was about to make my move on the cat when Gabrielle and Renna appeared from behind a cluster of Hemlocks. No chance now. I resigned myself to trying to talk my way through it.
“You have found Sawyer. Good work, Cray.” Gabrielle purred. The thought occurred to me that Gabrielle was very cat-like herself.
“Like I told Cray here, I’ve been roaming the woods as I always do. How was I to know there’d been a fire?” I hoped I sounded convincing.
Gabrielle’s eyes narrowed and she said, “Garrett wants to talk to you right away.”
“Sure thing, let’s go,” I said walking past them. Renna was silent as usual, but she was one to be leery of. Unlike the other females, there was no reading her.
It was easy enough for me to spot the hidden door in the north facing fence line by looking for the very slight variation of the weathering on the boards. Before I even cleared the doorway, Lutz came barreling over in his bear form. He was a massive size, almost two thousand pounds, much bigger than the largest grizzly. He slid to a stop, close enough that his breath blew my hair back. When he changed, the burst of colors was so great, I was temporarily blinded.
“Where’s Ivan?” he asked in a gruff voice.
The bear was the first one to ask about the wolf kid. I had to think quickly. I didn’t want to put Ivan into danger. As long as he stayed in Ila’s valley, he’d be safe.
“I haven’t seen him,” I replied.
“The wolf wasn’t with you, Sawyer?” He wasn’t convinced, but I had to go with it.
“I saw him for a few minutes early yesterday before I left, but that was it.”
I strode past the bear and ignored him after that. The animal people didn’t demand answers from us.
When I passed Charles and Mary’s house, Charles came out the front door and met me at the path. He fell in at my side as I continued toward the main lodge where I knew I’d find Garrett.
“We’ve had a bit of trouble here, Sawyer, do you know of it?” he asked, playing the good cop.
“The ladies filled me in.” I nodded back at Gabrielle and Renna, who were still following. As I did, I noticed Mary, John, Peter and Pricilla had joined the parade. Patrick, Charlotte and Colten were coming down the porch steps from Patrick’s house too. It looked as if we were going to have a proper shindig.
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But where was Horas?
Pulling me back to my conversation with Charles was his threatening tone. “I hope you have a good explanation for your whereabouts.”
I didn’t say anything, striding in front of him to enter the building first. Across the room, in the lounge area with overstuffed sofas, were Garrett and Sarah. Sitting across from them was Horas. They could have been talking about anything, but I couldn’t quell the sick feeling rising in my gut. Had the Roman sold me out? Glancing around the room, I saw that all of the inhabitants of the compound were accounted for.
I said loud enough to be heard by all. “With everyone here, we’ve got the makings for quite a party.”
“No. Not everyone, Sawyer. Two are absent, because they were burnt to ashes in the woods yesterday.” Garrett’s voice was even and he remained seated. That was what made him so dangerous. He never lost his composure. He was always calm and rational, unlike me.
“Are you sure they were burned? I mean if there were just ashes, it would be hard to tell,” I offered.
“Yes, we might not have realized as quickly as we did if we hadn’t found a piece of Kimberly’s jewelry in the dust. It was melted, but the diamond was salvageable.” He paused, looking around the room slowly before he said, “Can you imagine what circumstances would have occurred to burn two of our strongest to ashes at the same time?”
The image of it was still raw in my mind. I tried to hide my face from any emotion. Garrett’s eyes were fastened on me, ready to interpret any slight movement I made.
“I have lived a very long time and I have seen many things. I know exactly what could have done such a thing to Kimberly and Donnelly,” his voice rose in excitement. He thought he had solved a puzzle and felt good about it. He also had a certain Evangelical flamboyancy that I’d witnessed on numerous occasions. Garrett was sure to use his speaking skills now.
Garrett shouted out, “A Watcher! A fire whore from the old country.” His usual composure was still there, but he bellowed for the benefit of his audience, to incite them. “I have seen their destruction before. They unleash their powers for their own benefit, and usually in the name of everything good. These beings spring from the earth as angels of death, delivering havoc to our kind.”