Flicker (Defying Death Book 1)

by Courtney Houston

  “He’s not going anywhere, and if me dating him is going to be an issue, maybe Telor is right and I should move out sooner rather than later.” I left after that, not bothering to look back at Gavin, and slamming the door behind me.

  Telor 36

  Social etiquette told me I shouldn’t eavesdrop. But I was dead and didn’t normally care what social etiquette said. So, instead of going home and waiting like Catalina told me to, I waited at the end of the street, leaning against the street sign.

  Even this far away, their conversation was clear as a bell. I had a grudging respect for the cop before this, but it was gone now. While I probably shouldn’t have egged him on the way I did, he certainly shouldn’t have been talking to her the way he was. Especially if he cared for her the way he claimed to.

  Luckily for me, the street was empty. It was empty—no Guides, Meddlers, not even the standard unclaimed who had the habit of hanging around in the area. No one. The likelihood of this being good news was about as likely as Gavin and me braiding each other’s hair. Somewhere in the realm of never bloody happening.

  Catalina stormed from the house, slamming the door extra hard. She did her standard check to make sure no one was following her before heading toward my apartment with her head down.

  She walked past me, as if she didn’t even notice me. Following quickly behind her, I wrapped my arm around her waist, only to be met with her fist across my cheek. Well, almost. She was still human and slower than I was. In hindsight, it probably hadn’t been the best course of action I could have taken.

  “Cariad, calm down, it’s just me,” I said, stroking her face gently. She allowed my touch for a moment before smacking me hard across the chest and pulling away.

  “Why would you do that?” she gasped, straightening her jacket and stalking off down the street.

  “I’m sorry, I thought you’d have felt me.”

  “I was thinking, I wasn’t paying attention,” she said, still not looking at me.

  I held my hand out for her to take; her fingers flinched from mine a fraction before she balled her hand in a fist and walked a couple steps ahead of me.

  Looks like I was in a little more trouble than I originally expected.

  Lina 37

  “What. In the Hell. Was that?” I asked, hanging my jacket up on the coat rack. I stormed into the living room, pouring myself a healthy glass of something disgusting but strong. I coughed and sputtered the entire time it made its way down. “What in the hell is this?”

  “Scotch,” he answered with a smirk.

  “Don’t smile like that,” I said. “Explain what went on back there.”

  “I wasn’t the only one doing it!” was Telor’s defense. Fucking really?

  “Oh, my mistake!” I yelled back, pouring another glass. “I totally forgot it was okay to act like an immature asshole as long as the other guy is also acting like an immature asshole.”

  “I didn’t say that.” The more he tried to defend his actions, the more I wanted to scream. “I-he’s the one who punched me!”

  “You’re lucky that’s all he did. I was half expecting him to shoot your ass,” I scowled. “You saw that he was on edge and what did you do? You kept picking at him and taking any and every jab you could. Could you not be the bigger person and just let it be?”

  “So, what you’re really saying is that I’m better than Gavin and should have acted accordingly,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me toward him. I tried to remember that I was still angry, but it was hard when his hands and his lips were on me like this.

  “No, that’s not what I said.” I didn’t sound as strong as I had hoped. How could I when I was breathless? “Don’t do anything like that again.”

  “Never again,” he answered, urging us both onto the couch.

  He kissed me, long and hard. My fingers nimbly unbuttoned the front of his shirt, Tracing the contours of his chest, his arms. As his shirt fell to the ground, he ridded me of mine, tossing it aside. Everywhere his hands touched, my skin burned with desire for him to touch me again. I made short work of his pants and mine landed on top of them quickly. There was next to nothing separating us. The rapid beating of his heart pounded against my chest.

  “Cariad,” he said, his voice thick with want, “slow down a little.”

  “You just let me strip you down to your boxer briefs in less than three minutes and now you tell me to put the brakes on?”

  “Maybe I’m worried about my virtue. Maybe I’m afraid you’ll take advantage of my vulnerable state,” he said, as his hands slid behind my back and unfastened my bra.

  “I promise to be gentle,” I whispered as my bra went flying into his kitchen.

  “Glad one of us will be.” He bit my bottom lip a little harder than needed, and God, if it didn’t make me want him more.

  Chancing my luck, I slipped my hands down the back of his boxers; he immediately tensed and moved so my hands were on his back.

  “What do you fear most?”

  “What?” I faltered in my kiss, taken aback by his out-of-the-blue question.

  “Mind and soul, Catalina,” he reminded me. “I want to know both. But I’m willing to give a little to get a little.”

  My biggest fear? I didn’t even know how to answer that. I wasn’t really ‘scared’ of anything. I didn’t like a lot of things, and there was a long list of things that I would really like to not happen to me: buried alive, burned alive, being possessed and nobody noticing until it was too late and they had to kill me. I guessed the only thing they all had in common was death. I was not sure if it was the act of dying or the finality of being dead that frightened me most.

  “Death,” I said. I expected my answer to cause him to tense or for him to give me some type of encouraging words. Instead, he moved up my body so my hands went below the waistband of his briefs again.

  “Do you want to know mine?”

  I was just about to answer, when the front door banged open, eliciting a high-pitched girly scream from me, followed by a low groan from Telor.

  “Ever hear of knocking, Cheyenne?” he asked an empty spot by the front door. My breathing was coming out in little pants.

  I didn’t see her at first, only the barren blue wall, and then slowly, like the last time at Oasis, the air around her wavered slightly before she appeared. She had shed the yellow sundress and now rocked a little gray sweater dress with black leggings and red ankle boots. An outfit that would have had Jilsey drooling.

  She spared a brief look at me and smiled at Telor. It was obvious that this wasn’t a social call. “Yep, I’ve heard of it.”

  He returned her smile but had grown tense. I didn’t blame him, that little firecracker had an attitude and seemed a little pissed off. Not to mention the fact that we were both half naked—me more than him—but luckily his back was shielding most of my body.

  “Is everything okay, Cheyenne?” he asked, sliding the afghan over me. He stood and put his pants back on, leaving his shirt off.

  “Just peachy,” she said, and I wondered if she was always this much of a brat. Telor spoke of her like she was the greatest thing since sliced bread. “Except for the fact that shit hit the fan with Tori. She’s noticed”—she flicked her wrist toward me in annoyance—“that her soul is not where it’s supposed to be and neither is yours.”

  “When?” Telor asked, his shoulders tightening.

  “Recently.” Cheyenne and Telor seemed to have some silent conversation as they stared at each other. Telor finally looked away, face to the ceiling, and let out a long breath.

  “Cheyenne will stay here with you; I need to make a phone call,” he said, exasperation filling his voice.

  “Why? What aren’t you telling me?” I asked, the tart smell of secrecy and deception filling the air around me.

  He could see that I knew something was wrong, he knew that I knew. Still, he continued with his “nothing” story.

  “I just need to talk to Denny for a m
oment.” He gathered his shirt and slipped it back on.

  He wasn’t going to just leave without telling me anything. We were in all of this together, we were a team, and that wasn’t going to fly.

  “Why are you insisting on lying to me when you know I can tell?”

  He at least took a moment to think before he answered. “I’m not doing it on purpose. I just need to talk to Denny before I do anything else.” He sighed heavily and cupped my face in his hands. “Please?”

  It was difficult to deny him anything when he seemed so desperate. “Ten minutes,” I said, hoping I wouldn’t regret it.

  He smiled and placed a chaste kiss on my forehead. “I only need five.”

  Telor 38

  I hung up the phone, putting it back into my coat pocket. Hustling down the stairs, I quickly dodged the late night passersby on the sidewalk and ducked into the nearly empty bakery across the street. Denny sat at a two-seater near the back. I slid into the chair opposite him and looked up expectantly.

  “You need to disappear,” Denny said. He sounded tired. I was afraid of this. I knew this time was coming.

  “Is that possible, won’t she find us anywhere?” I asked. If I thought running would have helped us, I’d have already done it. God knows I’ve dreamed of taking Catalina to the far ends of the earth just to keep her safe.

  “The ring and the distance will make it difficult.” He rubbed his temples with his fingers. “I have a cabin on the edge of the river. It’s close but farther out. It will keep you within searching distance, but away from their general area. They will still feel you in the city, so maybe they’ll stay here. For a couple of days, at least.”

  “How long do I need to keep her away?” Regardless of the circumstances, I was excited to have exclusive time alone with Catalina. I knew she was getting frustrated with my lack of forthcoming when it came to questions about me. Her patience was a true show of her faith in me. Faith I didn’t deserve.

  “The weekend will do. Leave tomorrow after work, make it seem natural.” He stood and tossed money for his coffee onto the table. “Be careful, Guide.”

  My watch told me I had been gone six minutes when I returned to the apartment, and the voices coming from the cracked door gave me pause. I chanced a small glance and what I saw made my heart clench.

  Lina lay across the couch with her head resting in Cheyenne’s lap. Cheyenne had always been a soft spot for me. She was too sweet and innocent for this type of existence. But that was the way it was. Tori loved getting her hands on the young ones. She loved watching them break a little more every day. I had to give Cheyenne credit, though; she hadn’t once broken down on the job. Hell, the job even got to me on occasions.

  Cheyenne was seven when she died. I was glad for the fact that she’d get a chance at a better life next time. She didn’t deserve the hand she was dealt. No one deserved it. Deciding I had lurked enough, I entered the apartment and sat in the chair so I didn’t disturb Lina.

  “What did you guys do while I was gone?” I asked. It was as if I’d been gone for hours instead of minutes.

  “She let me braid her hair,” Cheyenne said, her voice sad and lost. “Well, after I made her sleepy. She fell asleep right before you walked in. I guess I see why you like her. She reminds me of my mom. She smells like her.”

  “She smells like your mom?” I asked. Cheyenne had only ever talked about her family once, and it was when the inevitable question of ‘So what are you in for?’ had come up.

  “Like flowers and safety,” she mumbled. “Take her? I have to get going. I’ll see you later.”

  I scooped her into my arms and Cheyenne left quickly. Lina stirred in my arms as I carried her to our bedroom. I slipped her jeans off and tucked her in. After stripping off my own clothes, I slid in beside her.

  “Goodnight, Cariad,” I whispered, wondering if my nights with her were numbered.

  Lina 39

  “Is that dress from the clothes Denny picked out?” Telor asked, handing me a to-go cup of coffee as we headed out the door. Sundays were normally a designated off-day all the way around, but Seline had asked if we could come in for a couple of hours today.

  Waking up with him, getting ready for work, eating breakfast—it was all so…domesticated. I could almost believe that we were only a happy couple going about our normal day. That nothing lay in wait to harm us.

  “Yeah, it is,” I said, checking the dress in the mirror next to the door. It was a blue and gray striped sweater dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline and a thick black belt at the waist. “Should I change?” I asked worriedly. Maybe it wasn’t as work appropriate as I thought.

  He laughed, wrapping his hands around my hips, and pulled me to him. “No, definitely not. Now that you mention it, you should probably never take that dress off.”

  “But if I don’t take it off, how will I take a shower?” Flirting with Telor was a language I was becoming very fluent in—one that I was more than willing to speak often.

  “I’m sure we can figure out a way.” His voice grew thicker. “Speaking of taking clothes off, I have a surprise for you.”

  “We don’t have time for that, we’re going to be late for work.” I rolled my eyes and pulled him into the hallway. His chest pressed against my back when he pushed the button for the elevator. “Maybe we have a little time.”

  “Patience is a virtue, Cariad,” Telor mused. “But my surprise isn’t that.”

  “Then what is the surprise?” I asked. While surprises made some people excited, they only made me nervous and queasy.

  Rather than answer my question, he tucked me under his arms and kissed my forehead. He didn’t give anything away the entire time we were at work, either. Finally, when five o’clock rolled around, he blindfolded me and stuffed me into a car he’d borrowed from Denny.

  With his hands covering my eyes, Telor walked behind me, leading me to our unknown destination. I hated surprises. Not like one of those girls who ‘hated surprises, but secretly loved them.’ I really one hundred percent loathed them. But Telor was so excited about our date that it was hard to squash his enthusiasm. By this point, I knew very little. We’d driven about thirty minutes to somewhere, and we were inside now. Telor had taken extra care to make sure that he gave nothing away, either.

  “If you were any tenser, you would snap,” he whispered in my ear, his hot breath against my face forced a small sliver of dreaded anticipation from my body.

  “I hate surprises,” I said in a breathless whisper.

  “You’ll love this one, I promise,” he said, placing a small kiss on the tender skin behind my ear. He drove me nuts. He knew it, too, which was why he did most of the things he did, just to watch me squirm.

  He led me up a short flight of stairs and into a warm room. A fire crackled somewhere in the room, and a sweet aroma floated around me as Telor lowered himself and pulled me into his lap. He moved his hands, and I opened my eyes and blinked as they adjusted to the dimly lit room. The frantic beating of my heart stuttered to a stop before picking up double time.

  We were in a small, cabin-like room. There was a stone fireplace in the corner, and a solid glass wall looked over the Kentucky River, its surface was spotted with hundreds of stars reflected from the night sky. A dock led from the deck of the house out over the water.

  “Denny thought it would be good for us to get away for a day, just the two of us. We are constantly trying to stay two steps ahead of the game. The few moments we have to ourselves are just stolen time,” he said, and moved my hair out of my face. Still in awe, I turned my face into his hand and pressed my lips to his palm. “If I have to spend the rest of my life running to stay with you and keep you safe, I’ll do it. But I want one night, one night that is just ours.”

  “You. Are. The. Most. Amazing. Man. Ever,” I said, punctuating each word with a kiss.

  My awe with the gesture was quickly overshadowed by the truth of Telor’s statement. We were just using stolen time. If we wanted to be
together, we were going to have to spend the rest of our lives running, watching over our shoulders. Tori would never let us be. Suppressed anxiety crept its way back into my mind.

  “Stop,” Telor told me firmly. Frustration laced his words and seeped into me. “Not tonight. Tonight there is no Tori, Denny, or Robin. Tonight, we are just a couple, madly in love with one another, spending a romantic evening together. Our problems will still be there waiting for us tomorrow.”

  Even though I knew he was right, I couldn’t help but worry. I thought to argue for a second, but Telor quickly shut that thought down by pressing his lips to mine. He was tender with his kiss, but the need of the night resonated in me with every second our lips stayed connected. This was the only us time we’d really had so far, and the only us time in the foreseeable future. We needed to take advantage of it.

  “You’re right,” I said, willing my fears aside. “They will be. Where are we, how did you do all of this?”

  “Right across the river from Raven Run Nature Sanctuary.” His hands caressed my hips, moving down my thigh to the hem of my dress. “And I didn’t do anything but ask Denny get the place ready while we were at work.”

  “We’re gonna have to leave early tomorrow to get to work on time.”

  “We’re not going in tomorrow.” I raised an eyebrow at his words. “Why do you think we went in today?”

  “It’s all ours? We are completely alone?” I asked, excitement growing stronger by the second. He nodded, and his smile morphed into a sexy little smirk.

  “Completely alone.” He lifted me and placed me on the back of the couch, jumping over the back in one graceful lunge. “Until Sunday at noon, that is.” My legs wrapped around his waist at the same time my fingers threaded through his hair. “No phone calls? No pop-in visits from Cheyenne? No Gavin or Jilsey?”

  “Nope, they, with the exception of Gavin, have been instructed that we are unavailable in all ways for the next forty-eight hours.”