Eli worked his finger in and out slowly, the rough scrape of the calluses on his finger eliciting gasps and moans from her mouth as heat began to coil in her belly. He kept the pace slow and gentle, no doubt thinking about her condition. So distracted by the coarse stubble scraping against her neck, sending delightful little shivers up her spine, she almost didn’t even notice him slipping in a second finger the next time he pushed in. When he finally deemed her ready, even though she felt ready from the moment he had her panties off, she still let out a disappointed sound as his fingers slipped free from between her folds.
Eli grabbed her around the hips, pushing her up high so his cock could nudge at her entrance. She was grateful for the prep as the feeling of his rigid cock filling her so deep, forcing her to stretch around its girth, sent a haze of pleasure fogging up her mind. Her breath began to come in quick, shallow pants as heat bloomed throughout her body. Eli groaned in satisfaction when his hips finally met the back of her thighs, stilling his movements as she was finally fully seated on him. He pressed their mouths together for a sloppy kiss, neither of them too focused on anything except the heat of their interconnected bodies.
“I love you, Mia, more than anything else on this world.” He told her, thumbs roving in sweeps across her hips.
“I-I-Ah!” She tried to return his sentiment but found it a little difficult with his hips thrusting up in smooth, shallow movements. She broke off into a loud moan, head tossed back as she was bounced in his lap by each powerful roll of his hips.
She was writhing in pleasure above him as he bounced her in his lap to meet each short, forceful thrust of his hips. He used his grip on her to tilt her body back and at this new angle, each shallow thrust was nudging that special spot inside her that made stars burst behind her closed eyes and her toes curl in pleasure. His living room was filled with the noise of her carnal shouts and the wet slap of skin on skin. Her nails broke the skin on his shoulder as she came, riding the rolling waves of pleasure that wracked her body. Eli snapped his hips upward, one, two more times and then stilled, groaning against the sweat slick skin of her neck as he spilled inside of her. When she finally caught her breath, she couldn’t help the giggles that left her mouth.
“What is it?” Eli asked.
“I just, I had a thought a moment ago that we didn’t use a condom but then I remembered I was already pregnant.” She explained and felt his chest rumble underneath her with his own laughter.
“No, I guess we don’t have to worry about that anymore.” He said and they lapsed into silence.
“You know I love you too, right?” Mia asked before she could give into the sleep that was weighing down her eyelids.
“Of course I do.” He answered and then she let herself be lulled to sleep by the steady, strong rhythm of his heart.
***
That night, as Eli and Mia slept peacefully on the sofa in Eli’s living room, cocooned in each other’s warmth, Jasper Valdis was sitting in his rental car at the edge of the driveway. He had switched the headlights off as soon he turned off from the highway, driving as slow as his impatience would allow so he wouldn’t be detected. Now, he stared out the windshield towards the dilapidated looking cabin, wondering now that he’d finally found the bitch, how he was going to get her out. He still had that other job he needed to finish too. He glanced into the backseat and mentally counted the neatly stacked rows of gasoline canisters. The odd man who had told him where to find his wife had been very specific about the number. He didn’t look like someone you wanted to double cross.
Chapter 7
“Mia? Mia, I need you to wake up for me now.” Eli’s voice infiltrated the pleasant dream she had been having and roused her much too early from her sleep. It was still dark outside, maybe close to dawn if the orange light in the distance was anything to go by.
“Mm, I don’ have work.” She mumbled around a mouthful of pillow.
“There’s a fire. I have to put it out before it can reach the tree.”
That got her up. “Fire? Shouldn’t we call the Forest Service?” She asked, pulling her fingers through her bedraggled hair.
His palms were warm and rough against her face. “I already did, but it will take them too long to get here.” He smiled roguishly then. “Don’t worry, Mia, this isn’t my first wildfire. But I want you to drive back into town, it won’t be safe for you.”
“If it’s not safe for me then it’s not safe for you.”
“I know what I’m doing and it’s not just you that you have to worry about now.” He told her firmly. “Take the keys and get to town. I can’t wait anymore; I have to protect the tree.”
“Okay, okay, just promise me that you’ll call as soon as you’re safe.” She said.
“I swear it.” He said. “Even if I have to climb the mountain to get a single.”
She pressed her lips to his for one last kiss. “Bastard.” She said fondly and then he was gone, door slamming behind him.
Despite her abrupt awakening and the danger around her, Mia smiled as she got dressed. The last few months of her life felt like they passed her in a dream; she never thought she could be so happy. She let herself out of Eli’s cabin and had to make a conscious effort to keep her teeth from chattering when the damp, cold air rushed her as soon as she opened the door. She could see the flickering red and yellow glow of the fire in the distance, smelt the acrid smoke hanging low in the wet air. It was no wonder Eli had seemed worried; it did look close to the tree. If it weren’t for the smell, it would almost look like a thick fog settling amongst the trees.
She hugged herself for warmth as she trudged to his truck. “Must have been one hell of a lightning strike to catch fire in this weather.” She said to encroaching smog, but even then, she must have known it wasn’t a lightning strike that lit that fire, something within her knew that things were not as they seemed.
Mia opened her purse, dug out the spare key to the truck Eli had given her after the third time he had locked the originals inside, and slid it into the lock. She was only vaguely aware of the motions her body was going through, her mind floating. Far away from herself, her good feelings from earlier were gone and an idea, a dark suspicion washed over her like an ocean wave. Her fingers felt numb, still pinching the key in the lock, and her heart was thumping faster in her chest. It was only this pause, this sudden laser focus on her surroundings, that allowed her to hear the door of a second vehicle open and then click quietly shut. It was only this one moment that meant she heard the rushing footfalls behind her.
Something was breathing in the dark. Something was breathing in the dark behind her, close enough to tickle the hairs on the back of her neck. Goosebumps rose across her flesh. Something was panting low and heavy in the dark behind her and Mia could smell the artificial fresh scent of the Nautica cologne that Jasper always seemed to prefer mixed with gasoline.
***
The sun had been low on the horizon, blinking orange through the breaks between trees when Jasper first followed them up here. Now he was standing outside his car and it was dark. It had been laughably easy to pick his way around that big lug’s property, splashing accelerant as he went. He remembered being told to douse some tree, been told precise instructions about it’s location, but when he had been out there, alone among the sea of trees, he had gotten lost. It wouldn’t matter, the fire was everywhere. The trees would burn. All of them.
He reached into the deep left pocket of his coat, his fingers brushing over the smooth bone handle of the blade resting in its scabbard. He looked straight ahead and saw her. His sweet Amelia, just standing there frozen beside the truck. Three things struck him then as he watched her standing in the thickening smoke and halo of moonlight. The first was that her hair had grown longer, before where she had kept it short and tame, now wild curls brushed her mid-back. The second was the way the jeans hugged her body and the possibility that she might be even more beautiful then he remembered.
The third thing that struck him,
was that neither of the first two things mattered. He wasn’t filled with longing for her, like he thought, it was rage. That bitch had dared, actually dared, to leave him, and he was going to kill her for it.
***
For a long moment, she stood by the truck, frozen in place. Her heart was thundering in her chest, but it seemed like every muscle in her body was locked in place. The tips of gloved fingers brushed her waist like a lover’s caress. At least it got her moving. She reared her head back with as much force as she could muster and felt his nose give under the back of her skull with a satisfying crunch. She heard him stumble a few steps back, cursing her name, and she didn’t freeze this time. She spun and ran for the cabin.
She just managed to slip through the door and slam it behind her when her ears tuned into his rushing footfalls behind her. She slid the deadbolt through its slot just in time because Jasper hit the door like stampeding bull. The thick, beautifully carven wood splintered under his weight, the hinges creaking and groaning as he battered at the door. She made herself turn and walk away from it. It wouldn’t do her any good to just stand there and watch him break it down. She needed a weapon, she needed to get out, she needed Eli. As soon as the thought passed her, it was gone. She didn’t need Eli. This was her mess and she could fix it on her own. That didn’t mean she didn’t want him there standing beside her though.
All the lights in the cabin were off, the furniture made of shadow and moonlight. The first thing she saw was the heavy metal pole of the floor lamp, glimmering softly in the dark. She lunged towards it, slamming her foot on the cord at the base as she ripped the lamp towards her. The cord tore free easily and she threw the shade somewhere behind her, wielding what was left of the floor lamp like a heavy, metal bat. Outside, Jasper rammed the door again, but she was through with waiting on him.
She slid the deadbolt free and jerked open the door. A fury that she didn’t know she was capable of possessed her as soon as she saw him standing there, blood trickling down his front from his nose like a leaky faucet. She screamed with a wrath that turned her voice into a powerful, twisted thing that she no longer recognized.
“Fuck you!”
She shoved the base of the lamp, and felt the shock reverberate up her arm as it connected with his face. His feet scrambled backwards, his arms pinwheeling comically as he tried to keep his balance, but it didn’t stop him from falling backwards down the two porch steps. She turned, still gripping the lamp pole and lunged for the back door.
The smoke was thicker now, embers from the fire floated in the arid breeze and lit her way to the creek like fireflies. She could hear him rushing behind her, crashing through the underbrush, screaming. The smoke was thick enough to make her eyes sting as she reached the creek and inhaled the smell of the sweet, wet water. She didn’t let herself hesitate, she threw herself off the sloped bank, her feet finding one, two, three stones, and the she was on the other side. She spared a second to squint through the smoke, but she couldn’t see Eli. She couldn’t see Jasper either. She spotted the thick wall of trees that she was just beginning to recognize, the tree was close.
***
Jasper saw her throw herself off the bank and hop across as if she were flying. He sank behind the thick truck of a tree, trusting the smoke to hide him as he peeked out just enough to watch her. She stopped once she was on the other side of the bank, standing there looking around and then looking back right at him. No, he stopped himself from jerking back behind the tree, she’s not looking at me, she’s looking through me. The bitch can’t see through the smoke! She turned back and ran straight into the thick belt of trees that he’d gotten lost in earlier. This time he had no intention of charging into the trees blindly, there was something about this place that he didn’t like.
If he kept her in his sight, then she would lead him through. His lips pulled back into a bloodied grin as he moved as silently as he could to the stream, and if she got them lost, at least he could watch her die. He picked his way across the stream, the long, curled strands of her gleaming hair just barely still visible as she weaved between the trees.
***
She ran like she hadn’t since state track. Arms pumping at her sides, mouth open gulping air, feet gracefully missing every treacherous root and upturned patch of dirt. Jasper thought he was so sneaky, but she could hear his footfalls and his grunting, wet breath stirring the air behind her. “Just leave us ALONE!” She shouted hoarsely over her shoulder, struggling with the urge to stop and start coughing. Jasper wasn’t the only thing on her heels, the fire was spreading, crackling and spitting as it consumed the forest behind them.
“You know I’m going to catch you, Ames! Just stop this and come here! I promise I’ll go easy on you.” He called. What he wasn’t expecting was for her to actually stop, he almost ran into her back.
She spun to face him, raising her middle finger towards his face. “I fucking hate being called Ames.” His arms tried to close around her, but she was faster, pushing against his chest in a solid shove. His heel caught against the root he hadn’t seen and down he went. She laughed just to taunt him, shouting over her shoulder as she ran on. “I’m not your Ames anymore!” Jasper crashed around in the underbrush, calling her names, cursing her, but she didn’t stop again. She was lucky. But if she stopped again then he’d have her and so would the fire.
She ran into the circular clearing, all her breath leaving her in a rush as she saw him. Eli was bent at the base of the tree. It was almost pulsing with light. He had buckets of water, his sweat and soot slicked muscles bunching as he threw them towards the encroaching flames. She didn’t think he knew the fire was coming behind him as well. She had a brief, clear thought that cut through her cloud of relief and adrenaline, they were going to die here. Eli would never leave the tree, and she wasn’t going to leave him.
Jasper was still somewhere behind her, but he didn’t seem so important now. Slowly, on tired, numb legs, she walked to him and placed her hand on his back. “Eli…” She didn’t know what else to say to him.
He straightened, the empty bucket falling from the loose grasp of his fingers. “Mia.” He surged towards her, wrapping her up in a crushing embrace. “What the hell are you doing here?” It was the maddest and most relieved she had ever heard him. “What about the baby? Damnit, I told you to go.”
“I couldn’t, Eli! Jasper, he’s here. I couldn’t go. I think he set the fire too.” She rushed to try and explain.
His eyes, now black with fury, drifted away from her, looking somewhere over her shoulder. She turned to follow his line of sight and saw him just beyond the wall of blazing trees. They were surrounded by a ring of fire and from its edges, Jasper emerged. He hadn’t been as fast as her, he’d obviously been caught in the fire. His hair was flat against his skull, singed and blackened, patches of his clothing were burnt off, some of it still smoking. He staggered into the clearing towards them, knife still gripped firmly in his hand.
“I’m going to kill him, Ames, then I’m going to kill you! It’s over sweetheart.” He laughed, over the edge of hysterical. “There’s nowhere to run. You’re trapped like a little lab rat, you bitch.” He cackled. “You’re going to die here.”
“You’re insane, Jasper. You need help.”
“The only one that’s going to be dying here is you.” They spoke at once. Eli started towards him, but she grabbed his arm.
“Eli, you can’t. He’s not worth it, okay? We have to go. If we cover our faces and run, we might be able to make it out.” He gently pried her fingers off his arm. “Eli,” she started again. “We have to go.”
He wasn’t listening. His breath was coming in thick huffs, his nostrils flaring as he watched Jasper’s painstaking journey towards them. As soon as he was close enough, Jasper’s knife arced through the air towards Eli’s bare chest, but Eli caught his wrist in one hand, squeezing until she could hear the bones grind together and pop. Jasper started to shriek, the knife vanishing down the tall grass, his other ha
nd coming up to claw at Eli’s.
“Eli stop!” She shouted, behind them the fire was eating through the tall grass as if it were kindling and the air had grown so hot it was becoming painful to breathe.
Eli grabbed him by the back of his neck, turning to throw him battered face first against the grey, silver trunk of the tree. His skull cracked against it and then he was falling back, disappearing inside the tendrils of tall grass. She didn’t take the time to marvel that she was now technically a widow, instead, she grabbed Eli by the elbow, steering him towards the one section of field that wasn’t yet ablaze.
“Stop, Mia, stop!” He shook off her grip. “I have to stay, I can’t leave. You have to go” He pushed her gently, but she turned to argue with him.
“It’s over, there’s nothing you can do! You can’t even get back to the stream to get more water. I’m not leaving you here to throw your life away.” She said. She grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers as a shape rose in the smoke behind them. “Eli-!” She started, and a gunshot rang through the clearing, a .45 slug ripping its way through Eli’s back.
The breath was punched out of his lungs, the hand in hers becoming limp and unresponsive as his body fell towards her. “No, no, no, shit, no.” She tried to make his fall as easy as possible, but he was a lot of man to catch. Blood spilled over her fingers as she tried to staunch the flow, and he took a deep, wet breath.
“Mia, you have to run. Don’t stop until you’re in the truck.” He coughed, spitting syrupy blood into the grass. “You have to promise me you’ll go.”
She shook her head, her vision blurring as she held back tears. “I’ve told you a hundred times, I’m not leaving you.” She laughed wetly. “And I lost the keys. A while ago. You’re going to be okay. I can help you up and we can go together.” She slung an arm around him, grunting as she tried to get him back to his feet. “You have to help me; I can’t lift you by myself and he’s coming.”
Guardian of Bear Creek Page 6
