“Humans have always had the ability to be influenced by the emotions of those around them. You, have that ability to a heightened degree. You, my dear, have the ability to absorb someone’s powers.” She shrugged, strolling around Ellie and looking her up and down like some sort of museum specimen.
“An empath?” Ellie whispered.
Terri nodded. “Quite interesting.”
Devon shifted, uneasy with the sudden gleam in the witch’s eyes. He had to get Ellie away and fast. “We’re exhausted. Do you have a spare room?”
She tore her attention from Ellie, obviously annoyed by his interruption. “Of course. How long will you stay?”
“A mere day.”
She nodded. “Door on the right. I’ll bring you some clothing and food.” The woman made her way into the kitchen area, pretending to be the perfect hostess, but Devon knew the witch listened.
Ellie still stood there, her face pale, her gaze a little glassy. She was in shock. Damn it all, the last few days were too much for her.
Eager to get her away from Terri, Devon latched onto her arm. “Are you well?”
She nodded, a jerky movement of her head. Well indeed. She looked ready to faint. Devon led her toward the bedchamber, feeling Terri’s gaze upon them the entire time. He shut the door behind them. The room would offer a little privacy, at least.
“Why am I like this?” she asked the moment the door closed.
He shrugged, making his way around the perimeter of the small area. A double bed lay against the far wall, a small wardrobe in the corner. There was no argument as to whether they’d sleep in the same room. He wasn’t letting Ellie out of his sight.
He paused at the one window. “Perhaps your parents were, or perhaps God decided to grace you with the powers.” He shoved aside the dark blue curtains. The windows were large enough to fit through, if they needed a quick escape. The sun had set, the field and sky growing dark. With nightfall came the beasts. His heart hammered, reminded of a dark hell he’d rather forget.
Laughing, Ellie sank onto the bed.
Devon slid her a wary glance. He never had been good at understanding women. Lord, had she finally gone mad? “Are you… upset?”
She turned toward him, her face flushed with excitement. “No! Why would I be? I have a name for what I am! There are others like me….” She frowned. “Well, maybe. I’m still not sure about that.”
“Not many,” he warned, worried she was taking the information the wrong way. Bloody hell, she shouldn’t be excited. She had a hard and heavy life ahead of her. There was no way to get rid of what she was, and once the world knew…
“It doesn’t matter.” She surged to her feet. “All that matters is that I have these abilities.”
He nodded, still leery. “Good, you accept them.”
“Accept them? I’m going to use them. Do you realize what I can do? I’m not helpless anymore!”
He frowned. This didn’t sound good. Of course he knew what she could do, probably more than she realized. “What do you mean, use them?”
She rested her hands on his shoulders and stared up into his eyes with a look of determination that worried him. “I’m going with you. I’m going to help you find that demon and help you save the world.”
****
She wasn’t sleeping, but then how could she? Too many emotions rushed through her mind. Worry, relief, excitement. She wasn’t sure which to grasp onto. The shower had helped, some. But now that she was in bed—with Devon, no less— her thoughts were twisting and tumbling once more.
She had a definition! She was an empath. Whatever the hell that was. It didn’t matter that she barely understood. No, the only thing that mattered was that she was something. The odd things she’d witnessed as a child had been real, not her over active imagination, as others had said.
Devon shifted ever so slightly, reminding her of his presence. Drumming her fingers against her stomach, she slid him a glance. She envied the way he could look so at ease. Her gaze moved to his bare chest. The way the moonlight glowed across the muscled planes. Even worse than her confusing feelings about her powers, were her confusing feelings about the man who was lying warmly beside her. Damn small European beds anyway.
The entire cottage smelled like spices, dried flowers and herbs. Even the t-shirt and sweats Terri had given her smelled like death. To say she was uncomfortable was an understatement. Terri, their esteemed hostess, didn’t help. The woman gave her the creeps. She was too damn mysterious, that annoying smirk always on her lips, as if she knew something they didn’t.
Bored and anxious, Ellie slid Devon another glance. She couldn’t read much of his features in the moonlight, but knew his eyes were closed. She didn’t dare move, for fear she’d bring attention to herself. The entire left side of her body was afire, pressed tightly to his. The skin tingled, her muscles tense; how could anyone expect her to sleep? Devon sure as heck wasn’t sleeping. At least, she didn’t think he was. There were no snores, or even deep breathing.
She knew. For some reason, she just knew he wasn’t sleeping. Yet, he hadn’t moved in two hours. The silence and stillness were driving her insane. There were so many questions she had, so many answers she needed.
Frustrated, she rolled onto her side, facing him. “Hey,” she whispered.
He didn’t respond.
Maybe he was a super sound sleeper. Ellie hesitated, then shoved her finger into his shoulder, his skin warm and smooth under her touch. She curled her hand as the skin tingled. “Devon, you sleeping?”
“Not now,” he sighed.
She grinned, realizing she’d been right all along. He hadn’t been sleeping. “We need to talk.”
For the first time in her life she had a purpose. Even though others hadn’t been able to see the beings she’d seen, she’d known all along what evil lurked out there, now she had proof. She was like a…a super hero. Well, if super heroes were poor and desperate.
“Talk?” His voice sounded slightly strangled, as if she’d just asked him to go steady. “Seriously, now?”
She leaned up on her right elbow. “You’ll teach me, right? How to use my abilities?”
He rubbed his hands over his face. “I suppose I don’t have a choice.”
She ignored his exasperated tone. “When do we leave?”
“As soon as I get some sleep.”
“Right.” She lay back down and closed her eyes, yet her mind spun. She’d been exhausted only this morning, but no way she could rest tonight. A moment later, she opened her eyes, staring at the water-stained ceiling once more. “And what’s the plan?”
“We find Ashley and Cristian.”
His words certainly surprised her. She turned toward him. How she wished she could read his features in the moonlight. “Cristian is the one who killed you?”
“Not exactly.” He hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure himself what had happened. “It was an accident and it happened over a century ago.”
She frowned. Did murder have a time limit? She certainly wasn’t an expert, but what odd friends and family he had. “And Ashley? She brought you back?”
He hesitated again. He always did when he spoke of her. No wonder why he felt some connection to the woman, she’d brought him back to life. She was suddenly annoyed, yet not sure why.
Why did she care how he felt toward this woman?
But she knew deep down… because he had kissed her.
“With help, yeah.” His voice had grown unnaturally soft.
He was in love with her. It was obvious. The realization was like a knife to the gut. It figured. She rolled onto her back. She was sharing a bed with a hot guy and he was thinking of another woman.
But then why had he kissed her? Her longest relationship had been two months, what did she know about men and women? When a person was constantly running from city to city in order to hide her abilities it was hard to keep up a relationship. But that didn’t mean she didn’t want one.
She picked at a loose thread on the beds
pread, wondering how the hell she could be interested in a man she’d only just met. “So, what’s she like? This… Ashley?”
He laughed. “Not like you.”
She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be offended, but couldn’t keep the emotion from surging forward. How she wanted to shove her elbow into his gut. Instead, she merely stared at the dark wall, jaw clenched.
“She…” Devon started, only to pause.
Ellie waited, breath held, intensely interested in what he had to say.
“She hates her powers.”
Ellie pushed herself onto her elbow and faced him. “She has powers? What kind?”
“She can see ghosts.”
She frowned. What was the big deal about seeing ghosts? “You can too, right?”
“No, she can truly see them, in detail. To her, they’re humans.”
Ellie sank back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. “Oh.”
“She’s a Seer, one who can see spirits. She was given the gift to help Warriors, beings sent to earth to remove unwanted ghosts.”
She slid him a glance. Devon was a warrior. So, they were destined to work together, Seers and Warriors? How wonderful for them. She couldn’t explain her unwanted emotions. Knew her odd jealousy wasn’t rational, yet couldn’t seem to get rid of the beast. “And who am I supposed to work with?”
She felt him shrug. “No one… in particular, I suppose.”
Alone. Again. Figured. From somewhere inside the cottage, a floorboard creaked. Ellie stiffened, yet Devon didn’t seem concerned. Terri, or just the house settling?
“Ashley didn’t want her abilities,” Devon continued. “She despised them, which is why I said you’re nothing like her.”
His words made her feel somewhat better. There was no judgment in them. “I see.” How could someone not want their powers? Her powers had given her meaning. Gave her life. Gave her a reason to be. But to be what? Alone, apparently. For the first time, her excitement wavered.
“You should sleep,” Devon said.
Reluctantly, she closed her eyes. Devon shifted closer, making her acutely aware of his proximity. So close she could feel his heat, his hard muscles pressed into her softness. A tingle of awareness shot straight to her pelvis. She opened her eyes once more, staring at the dark ceiling. How long had it been since she’d slept with a guy? Too many months if her libido had anything to say about it. She shifted and her hand brushed his. A bolt of electricity burst through her body, heat pooling low in her belly. She jerked away, pressing her hand to her quivering stomach.
“Devon,” she whispered. “Do you have a Seer who works with you?”
For a long moment he didn’t respond. She thought perhaps he slept. Finally, he replied, “No. She died a long time ago. Since I was supposed to be dead as well, I was never reassigned a new one.”
So, he was alone too. His family gone. His Seer gone. Sympathy replaced any lingering jealousy. She felt drawn to the man, connected by loss. Sorrow. Pain. Biting her lower lip, she slid her hand toward him and wrapped her fingers around his. He didn’t respond. He didn’t tighten his grip. He didn’t pull away. He merely lay there, completely still, completely silent. Ellie swallowed hard, embarrassed by her actions. She started to pull back when his fingers tightened around hers.
“Ellie?” he whispered.
Her breath caught, her heart thumping madly. She couldn’t deny that the sweet emotion coursing through her body was hope. “Yeah?”
He rolled onto his side just as she did the same. Face to face, they paused. So close, his breath was warm on her mouth. Lord, he was going to kiss her. Her heartbeat hitched. Or, she was going to kiss him if he didn’t make a move soon.
“Devon,” she said just as softly.
Boldly, she tilted her head back and gazed into his eyes. “I want—”
“I know.” He lowered his head, his lips so close to hers. So very close. The ache low in her belly intensified, twisting into an agonizing need for more. “Pretend to kiss me.”
“Wh…what?” Confused, she started to draw back. His steel arm wrapped around her waist and jerked her forward. Ellie suddenly found herself crushed to his hard chest. Pretend? She didn’t understand. Why pretend?
“Devon, I don’t—”
His lips molded to hers in an uncompromising kiss that made her forget everything but him. Warmth invaded every cell, expanded in her body, flaring to life. She felt… alive. Whole. As if she’d been waiting for his touch for an eternity. She felt every dip, every hard muscle, every warm inch of him. Frantic for more, she slid her arms around him, spreading her hands over the muscled planes of his bare back.
Her body tingled with an unexpected desire she’d never felt before. When Devon rolled onto his back, pulling Ellie atop him, she eagerly straddled his waist. There was no embarrassment as she ran her hands over his muscled chest, only need.
Devon’s tongue delved between her lips, sweeping inside her mouth as his hands moved down to her hips. How she wanted him, all of him. It had been so damn long since she’d truly kissed a man. He shifted ever so slightly, his hands gone. Bemused, she wasn’t sure what he was doing. Her instincts warned something was wrong. Ellie pulled away just in time to see him lift his arm.
Bam!
The blast made her jumped, but Devon held her tightly to him.
“What the hell?” She tried to turned, but he wouldn’t let her go.
The scent of gun smoke permeated the room. Her ears rang with a ferocity that drove her nuts.
“It works after all,” he muttered, lifting the ancient pistol, nestled in the palm of his hand.
Ellie rolled off him, stumbling from the bed. There, slumped against the wall, was Terri. Moonlight shone upon her pale face, her harsh breathing interrupting the ringing in Ellie’s ears. Ellie reached for the light, flipping the switch.
Terri stared at Devon with pure hatred in her dark eyes. But it wasn’t the hatred that stunned Ellie. No, it was the blood slowly soaking the dark t-shirt she wore.
“Arsehole,” the witch whispered.
Horrified, Ellie jerked her attention toward Devon. He merely stood and slipped his feet into the shoes Terri had given him just hours ago. “Gather your belongings.”
She didn’t dare argue with him. Ellie pulled on her shoes. “Please tell me you didn’t just shoot your sister-in-law?”
“I did.” He pulled the clean t-shirt Terri had given him over his head.
Terri was gasping for breath, her face unnaturally pale, the very life draining from her body. If they didn’t do something soon, she’d die.
“Let’s go.” He started toward the door, apparently intending to leave the woman to bleed to death. Insane. The man had gone totally wacky.
Ellie raced around the bed, stumbling toward Terri. “Don’t worry, I’ll…”
A large knife rested on the floor next to the woman. Ellie froze, her gaze jumping to Terri’s face. She saw the evil there, in dark eyes that pierced her very soul. Realization hit her like a punch to the gut.
“Holy hell, you…”
A shiver raced over her skin. The witch’s mouth lifted, a hiss slipping between her lips.
“Let’s go, now,” Devon demanded, waiting for her impatiently near the doorway.
“She was going to…”
“Sacrifice us.”
“Holy Hell,” Ellie whispered. Not just kill, no, but sacrifice. What kind of world had she entered?
“He will find you,” Terri gasped, pressing her hands to her chest as if that could stop the flow of blood. Instead, the bright red liquid merely seeped between her pale fingers. She might be a witch, but she bled like a human.
Feeling sick, Ellie looked away from the woman.
“This is what you wanted,” Devon said to Ellie, his gaze hard and unrelenting. “Yet, this is nothing compared to what we’ll have to endure. Have you changed your mind yet?”
Demons, witches, death. She really hadn’t a clue what was out there. But as far
as she was concerned, she no longer had a choice but to join him. “No. Nothing has changed.”
Chapter 9
Devon shoved the front door wide and paused on the stoop, attempting to regain his bearings. The moon shone above, giving the world an eerie blue glow. They were out there; he could sense the supernatural beings, hovering, waiting. Yet, staying inside was worse. The small cottage in the middle of an open field would be a veritable trap. He should have known Terri would alert her coven. Their best chance for complete escape was in the out of doors.
He latched onto Ellie’s hand and jerked her into the night, out of one danger and into another. He never should have trusted Terri. Yet, he hadn’t any other choice. The woman was the only link to his past. His only chance at answers until his memory returned, if it did.
“Where are we going?” her voice came out in breathless pants as they dashed into the field of wildflowers. Silver grass, damp with dew clung to their legs, bewitched by spells meant to slow their progress.
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” he said, trudging through the clinging vegetation. It was like thousands of tiny fingers wrapping around their calves. The entire atmosphere was bewitched. He could feel the magic vibrating around them, pulsing inside them like an illness meant to weaken.
Making it to the forest would be their best option. There, amongst the shadows, they would be safe. The trees would provide shelter. Hunched low, he bolted toward the woods, the clinging grasses snapping as they broke loose. In the field they were sitting ducks.
“Head toward the trees.”
A high-pitched scream rent the air. Not the cry of pain, no, a war cry. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. The sound was close. Too close. Unable to keep up with his pace, Ellie stumbled, her grip slipping from his hand.
“Ellie?” He turned. She lay upon the ground like a sacrificial lamb. Damn it all, why couldn’t she have his powers now, of all times? He knelt beside her. “Are you well? Can you stand?”
The screech came again. Closer, this time. Ellie cringed, as if the very sound had clawed its way through her body. Devon turned, prepared to do battle, prepared to protect this woman, if he must. Dark shadows flew through the air, swirling around them in a storm of magic that wavered through the very night.