“Is it waiting for me there?”
“Just answer the question.”
He yawned. “I was hoping we could spend today in bed, so sometime tomorrow. I need to tie up a few loose ends and check my messages. I need all the cases I can get.”
I didn’t understand why, when he was on the verge of inheriting everything Hugo Papan owned. But I didn’t say a word, because I knew how much he enjoyed his PI business.
“Good. I’ll give you your birthday present tomorrow.”
“Sounds good…” He sounded tired and faraway.
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the comfort of sharing the bed with him. After sitting by the clinic’s bedside, watching how helpless he looked while in a coma, this was a welcome change.
As soon as I enveloped myself in our happiness, everything else rushed back—reminding me that Ebony was dead. I’d made her a promise not to fall apart, and I’d already broken it when I thought Papan was gone too. She’d want me to be happy that he’d survived not only the coma, but Mace’s attempt on his life.
Besides, I’m going to save her soul.
I had a right to enjoy any bit of happiness that I could, and having the man I loved back in my life was enough to fill me to the brim.
“Fox,” he whispered. “Are you still awake?”
I was drifting back to sleep, but managed to say, “Uh…yeah.”
He sighed and I felt his breath in my hair. “I really died last night, didn’t I?”
“Let’s not talk about—”
“I don’t particularly want to talk about it either, but while I was in a coma all I could see was darkness. A peaceful darkness that kept me cocooned from the rest of the world, in stasis.” He paused, rubbing circles along my back. “Sometimes when you spoke to me, I would catch a few words. They were strong enough to penetrate the wall between us, and I knew you’d find me.”
I ran my hand over his bare chest, enjoying the expanse of muscle beneath my hand. He’d lost some weight, but it hadn’t softened him. If anything, his muscles felt ropey and strong—stood out more than before.
“What did you hear?”
“I remember you saying, ‘I need you to come back to me because I’m not going to walk away from you. Not now, not ever.’ You told me you loved me countless times, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t respond. I tried to open my eyes or squeeze your fingers…” He was quiet again. “I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. And all I could think about was how you’d seen me become some feral animal that killed his brother, yet you never gave up on me.”
I turned my face from his chest to meet his green gaze. “It was you. No matter what happened, I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”
He ran a hand over my hair, smoothing it out. “I love you more than anything in this world, Sierra. And I would do anything to keep you safe. I would give my own life to save yours, and knowing you’re willing to do the same… I can’t express how much that means to me.”
“You don’t need to. You’re here now. After everything, we’re together. You did mark and name me as your mate. I might not be wolf, but I’ve done the same to you.”
“Yes I did. And one of these days, I’m going to make you even more than that.” He looked away, towards the window.
His words made my heart skip a beat. “No one will ever come between us—”
“Not even Gareth?”
The question took me by surprise. “Papan, you don’t have to worry about Gareth. We’re just friends. That’s all we’ll ever be.”
Papan’s eyes were bright as he stared into mine. “But he has feelings for you. Otherwise the demon wouldn’t have been able to manipulate him so easily.”
After the intimacy we’d just exchanged, I didn’t want to discuss this, but what better way to come clean? I hated keeping secrets from Papan—even if the few I had were circumstantial.
I took a deep breath and released it slowly, propping my head up with my hand. “You’re right. Gareth has feelings for me, but they’re mostly confused by the fact he’s fascinated with my supernatural power. As well as this crazy world he’s been seduced into.”
Papan clenched his jaw. “Did he make a play for you while I was unconscious?”
“No, he hit on me when your brother took you,” I answered, truthfully. “I stabbed him in the gut, and that’s when I figured out he was possessed.”
“I still want to punch him in the face.”
“Didn’t you already do that?”
A smirk twitched along his lips. “I guess I did.”
“Anyway,” I said, trying to rope him back into what was important. “Gareth is a dreamwalker, he can step into people’s dreams and—”
“I know what that is,” Papan said. “Has he been invading your dreams?”
I wondered how much to tell him, and settled on all of it. “He did invade my dreams while he was possessed by the demon. He, uh…we—there might’ve been a…sex dream. But it didn’t mean anything. Dreams aren’t even real, and the demon was using his ability to take advantage of me. Not to mention that I thought it was you at first.” Papan didn’t say anything, so I continued. “I used the demon’s sexual interest to snare him into the secret room so Lavie and I could exorcise him.”
“Has he made a move or kissed you while awake?” His jaw was clenched so tight a nerve wobbled.
I hesitated. “He kissed me to distract the demon.”
“Did it work?”
“Yes.”
He was back to clenching his jaw. “And now, is he still interested in you?”
“Gareth feels bad about what happened. It was out of his control and he’s apologized many times, but I’ve told him there’s nothing for him to be sorry about. The demon is finally gone, and we’re back to being friends.” I debated whether to mention that I was going to the Tower with him later today, and decided to leave it out for now.
“And you’re sure we can trust him?”
“I’m positive.” I’d been as honest as I could without adding the complication of emotions and what could have been if circumstances were different. It felt good to be open with Papan. “Gareth and I are just friends.”
“We started out as friends.”
I took his hand and kissed his open palm. “You and me, we may have started out as friends but there was an instant spark from the moment we met. A spark that scared the hell out of me, and I know you kept me at a distance because you were afraid I’d find out what you were. But when two people are meant to be, nothing can stand in their way.”
He cupped my face. “You’re right about that. I’ve had my eye on you from the first moment I saw you. It’s not just your beauty that attracts people, it’s what and how you are.”
“So you’re fine with Gareth—you’re not going to tear his throat out the next time you see him?”
“He’s safe, for now,” Papan said with a smile. “I appreciate your honesty.”
I looked past him, trying to ignore the nagging voice pushing me to tell Papan about my plans with Gareth.
“So you really stabbed him?”
I nodded, glad for the distraction.
“You’re a force to be reckoned with, that’s for sure.” Papan’s cheer faded instantly. “What about Mace? You said he was at the pack’s estate.”
“That bastard is a different story.” I sighed. Now this was someone I didn’t particularly want to discuss. There was no mutual understanding, friendship or even respect between Mace and me. We were enemies with differing ideals. He wanted to force me into something I wanted no part of. “You know he’s a phantom now, and can manipulate electricity as well as other spooks made from any sort of electrical charge. He’s no longer human, if he ever really was, and is as determined as ever to use me. He wanted to get his point across—become his willing tool, or he’ll kill all my loved ones.”
“He didn’t kill me.”
“And he’s not going to.” I took his hand again. “I won’t let anyone else suffer Ebony’s fate.” The lump in my throat made me gasp. “I’m going to make sure that bitch releases Ebony’s soul—”
“Whoa, when did this happen?”
“Huh?”
He turned my hand over and stared. “When did you get this tattoo?”
“Oh, right, you don’t know yet.” I sucked down all the anger and fear, even the sadness. He really had missed a lot. “The Goddess Hecate marked me when Grandma moved on.”
“And it lights up when you get emotional?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Well, it just lit up,” he said with a smile. “And your eyes flashed pink.”
“Really?” The mark of the Goddess was intense and affected me most when I was enraged and destroying demonically-touched creatures. That my eyes flashed shouldn’t come as a surprise—not after my chat with Oren.
“Do you feel any different?” he asked, examining my hand.
“Most of the time, I feel the same. It’s only when there’s danger that I change.” I thought about the shadows and phantasms flowing within me. Did I get stronger or weaker every time I sucked the demonic into my body and spat them out? “I destroyed the shadow patch, Papan.”
“You’ve always been a dangerous chick, but it looks like you’re lethal now.” His dimples made an appearance.
I squeezed his hand. “Listen, I don’t want to hide from the Obscurus freaks anymore.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that if it’s a fight they want, it’s a fight I’m going to give them.” I paused to lick my lips. He needed to know how serious I was about this. “I’m sick and tired of their bullshit games. They want to use me to get Legion across from the other side and Maya came real close, but with this power, I can turn it around on them. Let them think they’ve got the upper hand even though they really don’t.”
“So you’re sick of defense and want to attack?”
“Exactly!”
“Just remember what I taught you during our sparring sessions. Never underestimate your opponent or get cocky about your ability.”
“That’s exactly where I’ve got those assholes beat. I’m not cocky. Hell, I’m not even sure about the full extent of my power, but I know it’s waiting to be unleashed.”
“Whatever you decide to do, I’ll be there.” The back of his left hand lit up pink, flashing out before I could point to it. “Don’t leave me out of this. I might be somewhat weaker at the moment, but I’ll recover soon enough. I already feel a lot better. Demonic blood has many benefits, and speeding up my natural healing is just one of them.”
I nodded, because it was all I could do without getting choked up about his blind support.
Papan yawned, and I followed suit only seconds later.
“Let’s get some sleep,” I said.
He nodded and as we settled back on the bed and I placed my head on the pillow, I remembered something. “Hey Papan, if you heard everything downstairs, you now know about the Alliance putting an order on my sister and me, right?”
“Yeah, I heard all about it.” He yawned again. “But I already knew.”
“Who told you?”
“Oren.”
“I should’ve known. I didn’t want you to worry, and then everything happened, and—”
“No need to explain. Now, let’s get some of that sleep you suggested.”
It was so warm and comfortable in Papan’s arms that it took only seconds to be swept up by slumber. This time there were no dreams, at least none that I could remember.
The next time I opened my eyes I found myself in the same position, but the slant of the sun’s last rays filtered past the window.
My mobile phone rang and I picked it up before it woke Papan. “Hello?”
“Sierra, it’s Saul, I need to speak to Jason.”
“Hey, yeah, I’m good and how are you?”
“I don’t need to ask how you are, I already know.” He chuckled. “You’re having a lazy day in bed, and a pleasurable one by the feel of it.”
“One of these days, I’m going to block you out completely!”
“Not gonna happen, but you could learn to be quieter.”
I rolled my eyes. “What do you want?”
“I just told you, I need to speak to Jason.”
“What do you need to speak to him about?” I asked, just because I wanted to annoy him.
“It’s pack business.”
“He’s asleep.”
“It doesn’t matter. I need to speak to him ASAP. So just put him on the phone.”
I sighed as dramatically as I could. “Don’t you think he should be resting?”
“If you thought he should be resting, you wouldn’t have seduced him.”
“You’re an ass, you know that? Besides, we’re sleeping.”
“Just get him on the phone.”
“Don’t get snippy with me—”
Saul cut me off. “Look, I know you’ve got plans for tonight, so I’m doing you a favor by distracting Jason.”
My pulse spiked. “How do you know about that?”
“Really, you’re going to keep asking me that after what I just said to you? Get him on the phone.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Who’re you talking to?” Papan asked, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?”
“It’s Saul and he wants to speak to you.” I handed him the phone.
“Hey, what’s up?” he said. “Sure. Yeah. No time like the present. I’ll be ready in an hour. No, give me two so I can freshen up and eat something.” He winked at me, before handing the mobile back. “Saul’s coming over. We’ve got some business to discuss.”
“Sure.”
“You got something planned?”
I bit my lip. “Actually, I do.”
He looked as if he was about to say something but didn’t. After my admissions, he seemed determined to trust me. The desire to know my plans warring with the resolve to support my decisions was written all over his face. I intended to tell him all about my adventure with Gareth, afterwards.
“How about a shower?” he finally said.
“Sounds good to me, but I don’t want to wear you out.”
He laughed. “Unfortunately, this time I really mean a shower. I don’t think I can hold you up until I’ve eaten a few rare steaks.”
“Right,” I said. I’d heard the innuendo when he told Saul to give him a few hours, and the wink, but nodded anyway. I stood and offered my hand, leading him into the bathroom.
As hard as he tried to keep to his word about the platonic shower, we managed to sneak in a delightful quickie. There were plenty of surfaces that could do the holding.
Chapter Six
I waved at Papan and Saul as they drove away. According to the demon, they would be back in a few hours, so I wanted to maximize the time I had. After everything Papan had been through with the pack, I knew he wanted to clear up whatever business was left. I just didn’t realize I’d miss him so soon.
Saul actually arrived early and had dinner with us—a nice lasagna Oren and Willow had whipped up with Michael’s help. Watching my sister with the pooka confirmed he was a lot more than just a friend and study partner. They might have met last week under the weirdest circumstances but teenagers fell fast, and these two had suffered a lot more than most. I just wondered about Jamie, who as far as I knew was technically still her boyfriend. He was living and studying at a poltergeist school and she went to see him often, but lately Willow refused to talk about him.
Oh well. She’d spill soon enough.
Gareth was due to arrive any minute. Oren was in the hidden room talking with Penny—a deliberate imprint my grand
mother had made of herself to watch over me—and Willow was downstairs with Michael. I’d checked on the teens several times to make sure studying was the only thing going on. Both my grandfather and half-sister knew I was going out but neither knew where or with whom.
The Spook Catcher Council had been a thorn in my side for years and it was time to completely cut them out of my life.
I raced back to my bedroom and strapped on my blades—boline to thigh, dagger to ankle. I tucked the other weapons into the dresser drawer and locked it. Before stepping outside, I checked my reflection in the full-length mirror to make sure my daggers were concealed. The shrouding incantations were recent on both, so I looked like an average girl in a blue long-sleeved T-shirt dress with matching stretchy jeans, tucked into shin-high boots. I’d pulled my long hair into a low ponytail, ready for battle.
The Ghostbusters ringtone echoed from my bedside table but I didn’t bother answering because I could see Gareth’s police car at the curb. I left the phone where it was, because I figured I didn’t need it. I descended the stairs and grabbed my keys. As I was about to step outside, I felt compelled to check my back pocket. I reached inside and found a small piece of folded paper. Be careful at that place, it’s not safe, the note read.
Damn. It was annoying as hell to have someone able to read my thoughts and feel my emotions. I’d been trying to shield better but with all the emotional turmoil, I kept forgetting and probably broadcast everything in stereo.
As I held the piece of paper, new words appeared in the same scrawl. Keep it down. I’ve got work to do.
I scrunched the note into a tiny ball and threw it in the small vase on top of the hall table before ducking outside. I locked the front door and fast-walked across the path and grass in front of my house. The protection-barrier spell Oren had strengthened was the heaviest yet, and he claimed it now encompassed the entire street. With all the hoopla and the amount of creatures that had penetrated his defenses, he was tired of taking chances.
I climbed into the passenger side of the police sedan and greeted the constable.
“Hi Sierra,” he said, glancing at the house. “Is your werewolf boyfriend going to tear any of my limbs off before I get the chance to drive away?”
A Stitch on Time: Sierra Fox, Book 5 Page 10
