by Alisha Rai
A full body shiver ran though her. Frankly, she was a bit freaked out by this side of her sweet, happy-go-lucky lover. “Um, yes, well. I figured out fast I’m a pretty weak assassin. Next time, you totally get to play the hero.” Her lips twisted. “I…I figured I was so beyond redemption it didn’t even matter.”
“Why would you think that?”
She looked down at her hands. “You know how I said I couldn’t have a third death on my conscience?”
“Yeah, that was interesting. Tell me about that.”
Her mouth felt like the filter had been removed. She had no choice but to tell him, to make him understand. “Three years ago, I came home for a surprise visit. Two police cruisers were parked out front.”
Alex’s arms tensed around her, as if he could sense what was coming and wanted to stop it.
“I slipped around from out back. Your predecessor and two of his deputies were just leaving. They didn’t see me and I heard one of the deputies ask what would happen if the witch told she’d been raped. Bainsworth said no one would believe her anyway, and they were the law, so who cared. The other man was mad and said that he didn’t get a turn before she passed out. The chief clapped him on the back and said there was always next time.” She faltered and he exhaled.
“I was so angry. It wasn’t fair, and I didn’t know how long it had been going on, and Mom had never said anything. To think of them raping her, when she was such a sweet, gentle woman, it made me so furious I couldn’t think. And I knew they were right, that they were protected, that nothing would happen to them and I…” She took a deep breath. “When they saw me, the deputies got scared, but Bainsworth didn’t seem to care. He laughed and started walking toward me, and I just…”
“What?” he prompted her when she faltered.
She turned stricken eyes on him. “I killed him.”
Alex’s tone was soft and reasonable. “He died seven months ago.”
“Because of me. I wanted to give him the most lingering, dignity-sucking death I could imagine.” She closed her eyes. “Do you understand? I gave him that tumor.”
His hands stopped caressing her back. She waited for his skepticism, or worse, his disgust. She tried to fill the silence. “I can’t just see auras; I can manipulate them on some level. Usually if someone’s injured, I can tweak the colors to aid in healing. I had never done the opposite before in my life, but looking at his smug face, this little switch in my mind tripped and I knew I held his life in my hand. I’d never felt so powerful, so drunk with power. I could see his aura and I could see exactly what I needed to manipulate to make him sick.
“He staggered back and his deputies caught him. They all looked so scared of little old me. I loved it. I was so excited, I didn’t even see my mother until she started screaming. I don’t even remember what she said to them, but they beat tracks out of there. Mom came up to me, still screaming, and slapped me. She’d never hit me before in my life. She grabbed my hand, and that’s the last thing I remember until I woke up a few hours later.”
Genevieve shuddered. “It was dark inside the cabin. Mom sat in the rocking chair, and I was lying on the bed. I felt terrible, but I was more concerned with the way she looked. Her face was bruised and bloody. I tried to get her to go to the hospital, but she wouldn’t listen, she just kept saying it was all too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“The balance. There’s always a balance. If I heal someone, I get hurt, at least for a little while. What they feel, times three. But I didn’t feel sick, so it took me a bit to figure out what she’d done. After that night, it was like everything I had inside of me had been burned away. I spent my entire life wanting to be normal, but when my power was gone…I felt empty.
“Mom got sick, real fast. I don’t know how she did it, but she took the rebound away from me and made it her own. Maybe that’s why I lost my abilities. I couldn’t heal her, I couldn’t help her. All I could do was watch while she died a little every day for two years, while the tumor in her ovaries spread through her entire body. So because I couldn’t control my anger, I killed my mother.
“She wasn’t a normal woman. She was simple, she hated being around other people. I should have stayed. I owed her. She didn’t just home-school me because she felt like it. It took her years to teach me to control my powers. I repaid her by leaving her here at the mercy of whoever happened to come along.”
“That’s quite the hair shirt you’ve been wearing there. It was tragic, yes, but I’d say a lot of that blame goes on those three grown men, not a young woman. What were their names?” His tone was very mild.
“Who?”
“You said Bainsworth was there with two other cops. Who were the deputies?”
She paused. “Carlyle was one. I heard that he died a couple years back in a car accident. I swear, I didn’t have anything to do with that,” she added hurriedly.
He squeezed her. “And the other?”
“Reynolds.”
“I always knew that guy was a little prick,” he growled. “But I’m glad he’s around so at least I can kill one of them myself.”
She twisted her neck around until she could see his face, surprised at the level of outrage there. “I don’t want him killed. He’s left me alone.”
“When I get back to town that little pissant is going to be lucky if he walks away with the beating of his life. I’ll have his job and his pension before I’m done. To terrorize an innocent woman and a child, turn your life upside down, completely isolate you, and then hide behind the law…” He shook his head.
She stroked his hand. Somewhere, she was amused that she was soothing him instead of the other way around. “You don’t have to do that for me. I’ve carved out a life for myself. The rumors spread and everyone left me alone.”
“I’d do it for anyone,” he said gruffly. “That you’re who you are only makes me want to do it a little more violently. Besides, this is no life, and you know it.”
Out of nowhere, giant tears pooled out of her eyes. Alex had a typical male reaction. “Hey now. Okay. I didn’t mean to slam your life.”
“It’s not that. You’re right. I hate it here. I thought I deserved it.”
“I like that.”
“What?”
“Thought. Past tense. You need to know you don’t deserve it.”
“My mother—”
“Would want this life for you?”
“It was my fault. If I had been here instead of off having fun in the first place, she would have been fine.”
Alex sighed. “That’s a lot of ifs. How ’bout this one? How do you know, if you hadn’t hurt Bainsworth, that he and his men wouldn’t have raped you? Killed both you and your mother?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but found herself stumped. That possibility had never crossed her mind.
“It was self-defense, honey. Your powers were the weapon you had, and you instinctively used them. Now, yeah, it sucks about your mother, but she was an adult. She made her choice.” He hugged her tight. “And I completely understand why she did it. Did you ever think that she might have felt like I do tonight? I led that asshole to your doorstep. It was my fault that you had to go out there with a gun and make the decision to shoot another human being. When I was in that shower with you, all I could think about was how I wished I could take that experience away from you and make it my own. When you look at it that way, how can you fault her at all for trying to mitigate the results? Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do it for someone you lo—cared for.”
Genevieve pretended not to notice his slip. She made a fist and pressed it against her chest. “I still feel dirty. Logically, I know I’m not a killer.” She shuddered. “Tonight proves that. It’s hard to get past that sense of responsibility, though.”
Gentle teasing lined his face. “My mama’s a devout Catholic. I think you could give her lessons in guilt. I know you expect me to be disgusted or scared, but all I can feel is a bit of irritation that this wa
s the big secret you’ve been hiding.”
Though she knew he was looking to get a rise out of her, she couldn’t help but bristle. “Being able to kill people with your thoughts is a damn big secret.”
He gave a shrug. “I guess. Here I thought you were going to tell me you used to be a man or something. That would have been something to get all emo over.”
She sniffed loudly. “Wow. Thanks.”
Alex laughed and enfolded her in his arms. She closed her eyes and snuggled closer. Nothing had ever felt so good in her life.
He unclenched her hand from where it rested against her heart. “You’re not dirty, or tarnished, or condemned, or anything else you want to call it.”
“You can’t see my aura.”
“You’re right. You know what, though? Us normal folk, we have to rely on things that aren’t magical sometimes. My parents always taught me to judge people on their actions. And every action I’ve seen from you so far has proven to me that you’re an amazing person who’s had a couple of tough breaks.”
“Once you go back to town and get away from these extraordinary circumstances—”
“I’ll still think you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”
She stared at him, frustration and hope warring inside of her. “You just wait and see.”
“Why don’t we do that? A relationship between us isn’t impossible. You could come with me. Or not,” he added quickly when she tensed. “We could date, commute. Not everyone is like Bainsworth, Genevieve. I’m sure there are other people who care about you, like that grocer. And there’s no rule that says you have to give up everything and conform to my life. We can live anywhere in the world. Or I could come out here.”
Genevieve grinned. “Alex, I don’t think you’d do well as a hermit. You’re the type who needs people all around you. And I—I don’t know if I’m ready to leave here yet.”
He ignored the latter part of that statement. “Angel, I’d give up everyone in that town for you. I’ve never felt like this about another woman, like I’m in too deep to ever find my way out—and I’m willing to bet money you feel the same way.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he hugged her tighter. “Answer me this: would you really have had sex with any man who ended up on your floor?”
“No. My body’s pretty much been in deep freeze since the incident.”
The instant response warmed his heart. He licked the shell of her ear. “I’m not playing with you. This is serious. We’ll take it slow. Just don’t shut me out again. Take some time to think about it.”
Her eyes held fear and longing. “I’ll think about it.”
That was the most he could hope for. He kissed her, unable to continue holding her without loving her. Genevieve turned her head to the side and to keep her from arguing just for the hell of it, Alex latched on to her ear, nibbling it just the way he knew she liked. “I want to make love to you, but I don’t want to be otherwise occupied if we have any more uninvited guests.”
Her hand stroked over his neck, but she might as well have squeezed his cock. “That guy’s gonna be out for a while.”
Reluctantly, he disengaged. “Still. Why don’t we take a break from sex until all of the bad guys have been carted off?”
Her brow furrowed in disappointment, but she nodded. He pressed her head against his chest. “Sleep.”
Alex held Genevieve until his arms fell asleep. Then he picked her up carefully and laid her out on the mattress.
She was in a deep sleep, but nonetheless, he tried to be as quiet as possible as he went into the back room. He hated to leave her for even a minute. He wanted to stand guard over her sleeping body with a machine gun.
However, he needed clothes, and he’d noticed another pair of sweatpants in the storage closet he’d looked through earlier. He didn’t want to put on anything that had come into contact with Leonie. That rat bastard. Genevieve wanted to talk about guilt? He was going to have nightmares that she had marched right out in the dark to confront a man he’d led to her doorstep.
He winced a bit to think of what his old buddies on the force would say if they knew a woman had taken the initiative because she’d thought his soul too pure to shoot another person. Alex’s mouth firmed.
Nobody would know Genevieve had been the one to shoot Leonie. He’d make sure of it. Not for his ego, he was damn proud of her, but because he wouldn’t have even a shadow of that ugliness touch her. It was what he deserved for sleeping through this. He hadn’t been able to save his partner; he hadn’t been able to protect Genevieve. At the very least, he could do this much for her, even if he had to gag or threaten her into sticking with his version of events. Since Leonie would probably survive the night—and wasn’t that a shame—he’d rather be the target of any more vengeance schemes.
Alex rifled through the boxes, finding nothing but women’s clothing. He shoved the boxes back in and started to go through the containers on the top shelf. Genevieve had suffered enough at the hands of other people in her life. She didn’t deserve any more hurt.
Alex felt the tide of rage rising again, thinking of his predecessors actions. Someone must have known what the previous chief and his cronies were up to, and he was sure rape was just one of the sins to be laid at the man’s feet. For sure, he’d be rattling some cages when he got back to town. And God help the people who had participated, however indirectly, in hurting his Genevieve.
He wanted to dig the man up and kill him again. Genevieve had seemed to think he would be disgusted by what she had done. Wrong. He held no illusions about small-town politics, and the truth was Bainsworth may never have served time for his crime. Plus, Alex’s blood chilled to think of what three men could have done to her tiny body when she came across them had she not had a bit of magic up her sleeve. If she’d had a gun or a taser, he wouldn’t have faulted her for shooting the three men. The only thing that sucked was that it had taken her mother away from her. Whatever deity or council had given the Boden women their power sure had a bastard of a safety clause on how they could use it.
Finally, Alex found another pair of sweatpants that he might have a chance in hell of squeezing into. Wearing clothes after this week might take some getting used to, he thought with humor. Hell, he could probably be back in his jeans as early as…tomorrow. Once morning broke, he’d see if he could track down Leonie’s vehicle. He’d quickly patted the guy down after Genevieve had done her magic with him, but no keys had been in his pockets.
He backtracked to the main room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Where before the thought of leaving Genevieve had made him extremely melancholy, he wasn’t that sad anymore. Sure, she hadn’t given him a concrete commitment, but they’d made progress this evening.
He sat next to the door, the handgun gripped firmly in his hand. Not the semi-automatic he’d hoped for, but it would have to do. Now that he knew he wouldn’t freeze where Genevieve’s safety was concerned…well, anyone who tried to hurt her wouldn’t last long.
13
“Talking to you is exhausting.”
“Maybe in a few years it won’t be so bad.” He studied her with a devilish glint in his eyes and stroked a hand over her leg where it rested on his stomach.
She was fully aware he was goading her, but she was too wrung out to rise to outrage. “I swear, you would argue with a post until it came around to your way of thinking.”
“That’s what my mom says. You’re going to love her.”
She rolled her eyes. She’d slept for about an hour, and then they’d spent the next couple of hours talking and teasing in bed, resisting getting up and facing reality. If she didn’t know they had a killer locked up in her old shed, they would have looked like any other normal couple. A feeling that Alex was encouraging, in his suddenly relentless campaign to have her agree to a long-term relationship.
It was looking more and more attractive, no doubt about that. If it weren’t for that insistent voice in her head screaming of responsibility and sacri
fice, it would be a no-brainer.
A rumble of noise distracted both of them and a dimple popped into his cheek. “Hungry?”
Genevieve shrugged. “Guess so.” She sat up and wrapped a sheet around herself. “Let me make something quick.”
“I can help too.”
“Great.”
They set about pulling eggs and ham from her small fridge. Not ten minutes later, Genevieve discovered something new about herself.
She didn’t like anyone in her kitchen.
“That pan isn’t Teflon.”
Alex looked up from the egg he was about to crack. “That’s okay, I can just scrape it off.”
Genevieve stared at him. “Scraping ruins the pans.”
“But if it isn’t Teflon, why do you care?” He cracked the egg and dropped it in the pan, breaking the yolk. “Oops.” He beamed at her. “Sorry, I know you wanted fried. I can eat this one scrambled. I’ll have better luck with the next one.”
“No, I’ll have better luck with the next one. Go sit.”
Alex seemed surprised. “But I’m a decent cook!”
“You said you were a terrible cook.”
“Any idiot can make eggs.”
“Your eggs are burning, smarty.” She stifled a laugh when he swore and lifted the pan from the burner. Edging him aside, she took the abused breakfast away from him. “I’m an excellent cook, Alex, and if I had the choice, I’d rather eat food that’s excellent. So go make us a little place on the ground where we can sit and eat. And cuddle.” She tacked on the end of the sentence to motivate him and snatched the spatula away.
Alex reluctantly returned to the floor and made them a nest of pillows and blankets. While flipping the ham, she prevailed upon him to at least wrap a sheet around himself. Alex grudgingly complied, only when she claimed she would be too distracted to eat, which was half-true. To reward him, she did give him a quick cuddle before sitting down with him and the food.
