Shed some Light

by Amber Naralim

  Ellie wandered past her room and stopped cold in the center of the hallway. Reese’s door hung open. He stood naked by the bed. She had seen Reese naked a good thirty times, at least, since he joined their little ragtag family. And yet, it never once hit her like this. Her heartbeat sped within her chest. Her fingertips tingled.

  His hair was wet. She figured he must have been in the shower last. His dog tags danced in the air. Silver glints that drew her eyes to his chest. He slipped into a pair of jersey knit undershorts. Vincent never bothered.

  Light from the window painted him gold. The slick, fist-sized burn scar on his right breast shimmered. His build was athletic, broad shoulders, and a sculpted chest. He smirked. That was the only thing that signaled he knew she was watching him.

  Ellie watched him pull on a pair of jeans and turn so that all she could see was his profile. He grabbed his shirt off the side of the bed. Reese lifted his arms up, dragging it over his head. Reese ran both hands through his wet hair smoothing it away from his face.

  “Ya going to stand there staring at me all day, or are ya going to come in?” he asked without looking at her. Ellie swallowed, her cheeks burning. She huffed out a breath and stepped past the threshold. Ellie walked to the edge of the bed, laying her hand over the round finial. She bit her lip thoughtfully. When he rolled his eyes up to her, she saw the little flecks of gold and green in them. Reese flashed her a grin. She had to admit both the Hale boys gave good smile.

  “The walking help?”

  Ellie blinked. Every morning, the moment Vincent left to hunt, she walked. Out to the tree line and down to the hill out back. She walked the perimeter of the property looking for any sign of the mercs. She searched for the smell of shoe polish and gun oil. Ellie scoured for the heavy footprints of their boots.

  Every night Ellie had the same dream. The mercs sweep in. They take Vincent from her, Reese too. They take Edward. They kill everyone. Every night she watched Anna take two to the chest. She watched Charlie get shot in the back. A shotgun blast takes Shane’s head nearly off. No matter what she does she can’t protect them.

  The walking smothered a tiny bit of that fear. It gave her something to do. It gave her some control. On the road, it was different. It was dangerous. But that’s where she belonged. She knew when to dodge, and she knew when to shoot. Ellie missed the roll of the tires. She missed the scenery flying by. The car was a tiny bubble where she could hide from the big old blue.

  That was her code for normal. This wasn’t normal. And this wasn’t the road. Here they pretended they were safe. They pretended the mercs couldn’t bust down their door. And Ellie hated it. Safe. It is a word that people strive for. They need it. Crave it. Ellie didn’t know it anymore. And if she couldn’t feel it, how could she possibly keep them that way? Still, she brought them out into her ocean of shadows. It was her responsibility to make sure they didn’t drown.

  Ellie licked her lips, plastering them into a thin line. She took a step back, sitting down on the bed’s edge. She tilted her head to the side.

  “You know it's driving me nuts don't you?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Reese gave her an elegant shrug. Ellie sighed. “Your shoulders are tight. Ya practically sleep with your guns. Ya can’t relax, Goldie.”

  “No. I can’t.”

  “Don’t ya worry your pretty head a second more. Vince won’t let nothin’ happen to ya. Neither will I for that matter, darlin’.”

  Ellie took in a deep breath that puffed up her cheeks just to blow it back out. “It isn’t me I’m worried about.”

  “Vince is doing better. That’s good to see.”

  “Yeah. I’m surprised there are any woodland critters left.”

  Reese chuckled at her. “It ain’t easy being around people all day long. Vince is dealing with that the best he can.”

  Ellie nodded. Vincent did anything she asked of him. Without thought, without comment, he suffered for her. Thoughts of Vincent brought on the memory of earlier that morning. She lay on her stomach, Vincent drawing pictures with his fingertips on her naked back. It made her smile.

  Ellie’s eyes lit up with an idea. She knew that if she left alone Vincent would hunt her down, and drag her back to the safe house. She bit her lip thoughtfully. “Will you go into town with me?” she asked Reese.

  Reese shrugged. He had nothing better to do. Vincent went hunting every morning. He was adamant about keeping the Beast fed. Reese liked the hunger. He kept it fed so he didn't rip the others apart, but not like Vince. Ellie got up from the bed and headed first to her bedroom to throw on a different shirt and then downstairs. She finished buttoning the black and white, tailored, gingham shirt as she stopped at the cookie jar to snag some of the cash in there.

  Reese took his time. By the time he wandered down the steps she had her leather jacket on and was tying her beat up red Chucks. Ellie walked across the room, grabbing the keys to the Dodge. Edward eyed her suspiciously. “Where do you think you're going?”

  “Into town,” Ellie said happily.

  “That's a bad idea,” Edward told her, getting up from the table. He sat his coffee cup on the counter and placed his hands on the granite.

  Ellie sighed and rolled her eyes. “I'm armed. I have a superhuman monster. And I plan on using cash,” she argued.

  “I'm going to lose this argument aren't I?” Edward asked the room in general. He huffed out a breath. “And what do I tell the other superhuman monster when he gets back and you're gone?” Edward asked giving her an annoyed look.

  Ellie smiled at him. “Tell him it's a surprise.”

  Reese walked past Edward and out the door behind her under Edward’s scowl of disapproval. They headed through the shoveled path, around the house to where they kept the truck parked. Reese opened the passenger side door and climbed inside. Though, he wasn't happy about it. Reese hated it when other people drove. One of those pet peeves he was so full of. Ellie turned her head and looked him up and down. “You know you should really wear a coat.”

  “Why?” Reese asked. “I don't need one.” He looked out the window as she turned the key in the ignition. They drove for a while in silence. Ellie kept stealing glances at him.

  Reese flashed her a smile. She slowed the big beast of a truck to a near stop and turned right. The town was a good hour’s drive from the safe house. The town was tiny. Ellie hoped they would have what she was looking for. Reese looked comfortable. He added a navy blue button-down shirt over the paler blue t-shirt she’d watched him put on. Ellie smiled at the fact that both of the Hales always rolled their sleeves up to the elbow. Reese slumped against the corner and the door. He was turned toward her slightly, his legs open. His hand rested on his knee.

  “You heard me talking to Edward about Vincent?” she asked, though, Ellie knew the answer. Of course, he heard her. They were one step away from being able to read her thoughts. Ellie sighed in annoyance. That made her think of a few questions of her own, though.

  “Vince is doing better,” he assured her.

  Chapter 13

  The first place they went was the general store. Ellie walked through the aisles and racks of hanging clothes. She was on a mission. Ellie hoped to find paints or chalks, anything for Vincent to draw with. In the end, she had to ask the clerk. Reese had to fight his Beast hard. The kid behind the counter stared at Vince’s little ray of sunshine with wide, lust filled eyes. Reese folded his arms across his chest menacingly. Ellie was Vince's girl. If Reese couldn't have her, neither could anybody else.

  The kid led her to a spot near the back of the store where they kept them. The clerk did his best to ignore Reese. Though, his eyes kept sliding back to him every few steps. It made Ellie chuckle. Yes, the Hale boys gave good smile. They could both be pretty intimidating too. Chatting her up, the little punk even asked Ellie for her number. She smiled at him and said, “Sooooo got a boyfriend that would eat you for breakfast.” That drew a smile across Reese's face. The boy walked back to the counter d
ejected. Ellie stared wide-eyed at the small selection they had.

  She grabbed three different pallets of watercolors, a box of drawing pencils, sketchpads. After a point, she sent Reese for a cart. Ellie filled it with doubles of every color of acrylic paint they had. Ellie eyed the selection and plucked a bag of silk brushes. In the end, she chose one of everything they had and doubles or triples of some things like the brushes. A whole stack of sketchbooks, they even had a few canvases. Ellie took all of them.

  “What do you think?” Ellie asked staring down at her haul.

  Reese gave her a smile. “I think he'll love it,” he answered. Ellie grabbed two more thick sketchbooks and tossed them into the cart for good measure. She led him back toward the counter. When she stopped, Reese hadn't been paying attention and nearly walked into the cart. He looked up at her. She plucked a jacket from one of the racks. Ellie walked up to him and held it up.

  “Try it on,” she demanded.

  “I don't need it,” Reese reminded her.

  “You standing around in below zero weather with no coat makes you stand out,” Ellie explained.

  “This is the first time I've been out of the safe house,” he retorted. “Besides hunting and I'm naked for that.”

  “Well, I have plans for the day. Try it on.”

  He frowned at her and looked down at it. It was a soft suede leather, brown, a few shades lighter than his hair. It had wide buttons. The coat hit him at the top of his thighs. Ellie smiled. It looked good on him. It looked very good on him, but then again, anything looked good on him. Reese was just that pretty.

  “Sexy,” Ellie assured him with a nod.

  Reese caved. He slid the jacket back on while the kid behind the counter- much more moodily- packed all the art supplies into a box. She gave him a smile as Reese lifted it with one hand. They paid and headed out into the cold, gray day. Reese held the door for her and she scowled at him. It drove her nuts when her Reese did that too.

  “Ya know the only other person who ever supported Vince and his painting was my mother,” Reese told her.

  “You are kidding me. He's amazing.” She gave Reese wide eyes. “I mean he could have been in museums.”

  Reese nodded in agreement. “She gave him a set of charcoals the day we took the jeep out to Fort Lewis. Vince treasured ‘em,” he said, pawing through the paints and charcoals in the box.

  “Then I'm extra glad we did this,” Ellie said. Reese returned her smile. “You know I'm saying this was your idea.”

  “Ya shouldn't lie to him. Besides, I already owe ya,” Reese told her.

  “For what?” Ellie looked confused as she dug the keys out of her pocket.

  “I did try to kill ya,” he said with one of those sexy grins. His dancing eyes just didn't match the sentence he uttered.

  Ellie chuckled at him. “Guess you got a point.”

  The big Dodge truck they stole after they hopped the border had a flat hardtop over the bed. Ellie had him put the box and canvases in the bed. She got behind the wheel and looked down the road. There were a few specialty shops, a small diner/ice cream shop.

  Reese got in pulling the tags from his new jacket. “You hungry?” she asked looking over at him.

  Reese leaned back against the seat comfortably draping his arm across the back of the seat. His fingers were close enough that he could brush them against her hair. That brought a small smile to his lips. Reese turned his head to look at her with his eyebrows raised. He licked his lips dramatically and said, “What’d ya have in mind?”

  Ellie laughed at him. “I was thinking a burger and fries, jackass.”

  “You're no fun,” Reese sulked playfully.

  “I'll be right back,” she said, slipping out of the truck again. He watched her cross against traffic and head inside the restaurant. Ellie gave the place a glance. She looked first for security cameras. She was happy they didn’t have any. The counter was a huge monstrosity filled with doughnuts, cookies, and cakes. An older woman was just finishing her order. Ellie stepped up behind her. The back wall was painted black, the menu written out in colored chalk. Ellie ordered fries, two burgers, and two strawberry shakes. The red-haired girl behind the counter handed Ellie back her change. The bell rang and Ellie jumped, reaching for her gun on instinct. She had to force her arm down. The girl behind the counter gave her a strange look full of high eyebrows.

  Ellie moved down the counter uncomfortably. The man who’d come through the door dressed in jeans that hung from his narrow hips. His thin t-shirt wouldn’t do much against the blowing cold and falling snow. Tall and lean, he had a wiry build. His blond hair just long enough to lay flat. His wide nose and thin lips made her think of Edward. He had almost the same lines, the same heavy brow. The guy stepped up to the counter. The way he moved drew Ellie’s attention. Something about him felt almost familiar and she didn’t know what it was.

  “Order up.” The guy behind the counter flashed Ellie a flirty smile as he pushed her bags and the two Styrofoam cups toward her. Ellie ignored him, stealing another glance at the man on the other end. The blond guy moved down the counter toward her full of graceful nonchalance.

  Reese watched a few people walk down the sidewalk. After five minutes, he began to get impatient. Vince’s paranoia when it came to Ellie was starting to rub off on Reese. He huffed out a breath and shouldered his door. Reese crossed against the light, jogging toward the diner. He pulled the door open. An old woman smiled at him.

  “Why thank you dear.”

  “You’re welcome, ma’am.” Reese forced a smile to his lips and waited for her to waddle through.

  Ellie grabbed both bags with one hand. She tucked one of the shakes into the crook of her arm, reaching for the other one. The bells rang again. Ellie turned toward the sound the foam cup dropped from her grasp. She tried groping for it and one of the bags went with it. Both hit the floor.

  “Damn it,” Ellie grumbled crouching down. She managed to right the cup before too much spilled.

  “Here, let me help you.” His voice was lyrical, his accent very British. The blond guy grabbed several napkins from the counter and crouched down in front of her.

  Ellie looked up into his intense green eyes. A smile pulled across her lips. It surprised her. She’d forgotten how to deal with polite society. It was a muscle Ellie hadn’t flexed in quite some time. “Thanks.” Ellie found this man oddly charming. Her eyes danced over his face. She put his age at mid to late forties. He looked worn smooth. Grim. But his eyes seemed sort of sad.

  He righted the bag. Folding it over, he handed it to her. His fingertips brushed against hers and his thin lips pulled up ever so slightly. Reese walked through the door working hard not to push past the doddering old lady. He caught sight of the blond guy and stopped cold. Reese’s heartbeat climbed into his throat. Fear washed over him. A cold sweat sprang to his brow. He had to get Ellie away from here!

  The blond guy looked up and tensed. Ellie might have missed it had she not spent so much time with Vincent. He could go absolutely still like that. Just freeze, so much so that she had to watch to see him breathe. He stared over her shoulder with slightly wide eyes. Ellie looked over her shoulder following his gaze. Reese stood near the door. She flashed him a smile.

  “You’re alright?” The blond man asked, tearing his eyes away from Reese. His voice dripped with protective worry. Ellie liked his accent. It played down her spine, comforted her for some reason.

  Ellie looked at him. “Yeah. Thanks again.” She climbed to her feet pushing the top back onto the shake. The blond guy stayed where he was glaring at Reese. Ellie crossed the floor to where Reese stood. She flashed him a grin, thrusting the other shake at him. “Got your favorite.”

  Reese watched the blond guy come to his feet with a liquid grace he recognized. He swallowed hard. “Come on, Sunshine, let’s get ya out a’ here.” Reese grabbed her arm towing her toward the door.

  Ellie spared one last glance over her shoulder at the blond guy. He wa
tched them go with hard eyes. Through the door and halfway across the street Ellie stumbled. Reese was pulling her along a little faster than she wanted to go. “What, did we get made or something?”

  “Huh?” Reese asked stealing glances behind them.

  “Did you see a cop?” Ellie asked glancing around them.

  “What-no. No cops.”

  Ellie cocked a brow in question. Not seeing anything, she snatched a fry out of the bag. They weren’t half-bad. She preferred onion rings but didn’t see them on the menu. Ellie made sure to give their surroundings another cursory glance. Cops were a pain in the ass. She didn’t have a particular hatred for them. On the contrary, she felt kind of bad for them. If one were to spot her, it was a death sentence. They were just doing their job. That didn’t mean Ellie would hesitate, she’d just rather avoid the situation if she could. Some people had to die. It’s an awful sentiment. Just one of the many hard truths of the life she’d chosen.

  “Are you alright? You like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Reese swallowed hard, his eyes swiveling back and forth. He had. They were miles from Vince. Reese didn’t want Ellie getting hurt. He pulled her to the truck. “Get in,” he commanded.

  Ellie took a long sip of his shake, digging the keys out of her jacket pocket. She opened the truck door and handed him the bags. The smells of greasy fried foods stole over him. Taking another drink, Ellie climbed into the driver’s side, getting situated. Once she was strapped in and the ignition was on she thrust the shake at him once again.

  “Fries!” Ellie demanded dragging a lazy hand through her hair.

  Reese shut the passenger door a little harder than he’d meant to. Mentally willing her to hurry the hell up, Reese glared at the restaurant door. With a frown, he dug into the bag, trading the fries for the shake. Ellie smiled. “Strawberry.”