Hidden Danger

by Amy Patrick

  No no no.

  Pressing both palms against his chest, I pushed myself back and stared into Asher’s heavy-lidded eyes.

  He gave me a sexy pleasure-drunk smile. “You okay? If you’re worried about protection, I told you, I’m always prepared for anything.”

  He reached into his back pocket and drew out his wallet, began opening it.

  “No!” I yelped and sat up straight. One shoulder of my unfastened dress slipped down my arm, and I pushed it back into place.

  Asher’s face contracted in concern. He sat up as well. “What’s the matter? Were you not... I thought you wanted...”

  “No,” I interrupted. “I mean, yes, I did. I do. But we can’t. I can’t. Not with you.” I was nearly in hysterics. What was I doing? What had I done? I was Elven. He was human—one hundred percent—not even a human-Elven hybrid like Ryann, who at least had some hope of immortality. And I’d been so close to forgetting all that and letting it happen. It could not happen—not for us.

  Dress gaping in the back, I crawled toward the tent door and fumbled for the zipper, planning I guess to walk through the dark forest to the highway, or maybe to ask a willing bear to put me out of my misery.

  Asher’s gentle hand on my shoulder stopped me. “Ava stop. Wait. Turn around please and look at me.”

  “I can’t.” The tears started and would not stop. I gave up on the maddening zipper and let my face fall into my hands, trying to escape Asher’s watchful eyes.

  He rubbed my back as I cried, murmuring, “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.” After a few minutes, he pulled me back into a sitting position on the sleeping bag. “Can you look at me now? Can you tell me what’s going on?”

  I did open my eyes and take in his troubled expression. “I can’t. I can’t tell you.”

  “Okay, okay. That’s fine. What if I guess it? Would you tell me if I’m right or wrong?”

  I shook my head. “You’ll never guess.”

  “Did somebody hurt you, Ava? Assault you? Was it your ex?”

  Stunned for a moment by his assumption, I stopped crying abruptly. “No. He... he didn’t do anything to me. He’d never do that.”

  “Someone else then?”

  “No. No one assaulted me. I...” I let out a shaky breath and drew a new one, clenching my eyelids closed. This was horrible. I’d acted bizarrely, and now Asher was upset. All he’d done was make me feel good, better than I’d ever felt in my whole life, and I had flipped out. Now he was convinced I’d been the victim of some terrible thing. Ugh. I wanted to be invisible. I wanted to sink into the ground under the moss and pine needles. I did not want to say what I had to say. But he deserved the truth. At least some of it.

  “I’m a virgin,” I blurted. Then before I could chicken out, I spilled the rest of it in a brisk stream-of-consciousness ramble. “I mean like a virgin virgin—I haven’t done anything. With anyone. Ever. I don’t know what I’m doing, and I didn’t really think about what was happening because it was all so fast, and it felt so good, and you’re so good at it, and you’re so good looking, and then I panicked because I can’t let it happen, but I wanted to, and I was about to anyway, but I can’t, and now you must think I’m a horrible tease—”

  Asher took my hands in his and rubbed his thumbs gently over my knuckles. “Okay, I think I get it.” There was laughter in his voice but he did not laugh. “It’s okay. I understand. We’ll go slow. We’ll wait till you’re ready.”

  I stared at him in shock. He wasn’t angry. He didn’t seem to think I was crazy. Or a horrible tease. The problem was, no matter how great Asher was—and he was pretty great—I could never tell him what I actually was.

  “What if I’m never ready?” I asked in a small voice.

  He gave me a slow grin, deepening his massage of my hands. “You will be. And I can be very patient when I want something enough.”

  There was no doubt in his voice at all. None in his eyes. Just a searing heat that told me he still wanted me and a self-confidence that stunned me. I’d never met anyone like him. I doubted I ever would again.

  “Now come here and let me zip up your dress, and then we’re going to get into this sleeping bag, and you’re going to let me hold you, and we’re going to get some sleep. As my granddaddy always says, ‘Lay your head with the dark, you’ll raise it with the lark.’”

  I couldn’t help it—I laughed. I scooted in beside him, and he tucked me against his side, my face resting comfortably in the nook between his shoulder and chest. And just like that, everything was okay again.

  Well, not everything. I was falling hard for a human boy I had no business even being with. I was way too attracted to him, and I had a feeling that given the smallest bit of encouragement, he’d have me breathing heavy and desperate for his touch again.

  Already, just lying beside him with my head on his chest, I felt my body responding to his nearness. I listened to his heart beat its slow, steady rhythm as he fell asleep, thinking of his kisses, of the way his hands felt on my skin. Oh boy. I scooted away from his body. I wasn’t going to be able to handle this. I wasn’t going to be able to be around Asher and not want to kiss him and touch him and do it.

  Being careful not to wake him, I unzipped my side of the sleeping bag and slipped out of it, moving toward the doorway. There must have been a bright moon because it wasn’t completely dark in the tent. I could see the rise and fall of his chest and the shape of his face—the strong forehead and straight nose, the full lips, and the jaw that even now I longed to run my fingertips along.

  He was beautiful. He was kind. He was strong.

  And he was determined to help me. And wait for me. Ugh.

  If I managed to sneak away tonight, he’d probably look for me. Strike that probably—he’d definitely look for me. He might keep looking for me long past the time he should return home and go back to school, back to his family, back to his life. He’d feel responsible and... sad. I didn’t want that.

  No, the best thing for Asher would be for me to wake him up and use my glamour on him, to make him forget all about me. I’d convince him he’d gone on a solo adventure up to New York City and then to this park, fulfilled some of that wanderlust he’d told me about. Maybe it would even help him feel better about what he thought of as his “small,” “boring” life in Deep River.

  I placed my hand on his bare arm, and he stirred. I’d start the process immediately, as soon as he was conscious, before he even got the chance to say something that might change my mind. This was hard enough as it was. The thought of leaving him made my heart heavy, and my eyes were already swimming with tears.

  “Ava? Sweetie?” Asher lifted his head. His sleep-roughened voice brushed softly over my ears. “What is it?”

  This was it. It was time.

  “I...” The words wouldn’t come out. They were stuck there in my throat, struggling to move past the huge lump that had formed there.

  “Ava?” he asked again.

  “It’s nothing,” I whispered. “I had a bad dream.”

  Both of his arms reached out to me. “Come on back to bed. I’ll make it better.”

  Letting out the breath I’d been holding, I followed his instructions, curling up once more by his side, where it was better somehow. I closed my eyes and let my muscles relax, feeling guilty and relieved at the same time.

  Tomorrow. I’d do it then, and then I’d leave him. For tonight, I allowed myself to snuggle close against his warm strength and dream this was how it would always be.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Simple Things

  I woke to the sound of birds and the smell of... something good.

  Extricating myself from the sleeping bag, I crawled to the tent flap and unzipped it. Asher was outside, sitting on the log in front of the small burner, cooking.

  “Is that bacon?”

  He turned his head and saw me. “Well good morning. It’s turkey bacon—I didn’t get my Thanksgiving turkey yesterday, and this was the closest thin
g I could find. You hungry?”

  I nodded and climbed out of the tent. “Starved. Where on earth did you get that—not from the bed of your truck?”

  He laughed. “No. I’m prepared, but I don’t travel with a full grocery store. I walked over to the campground store and picked up some stuff for breakfast. You want coffee?” He reached down by his foot and grabbed a white lidded cup, lifting it in my direction.

  “Oh yes.” I took the hot beverage gratefully, inhaling the steam rising from the lid’s small opening. “I can’t believe I didn’t wake up when you left. What time is it?”

  “About seven. You were pretty tired I guess. You were up some during the night with bad dreams—remember? Here—I got muffins, too.”

  I nodded, accepting the paper bag and peeking inside. I did remember. I remembered coming very close to glamouring away his memories of me last night. This morning I was glad I hadn’t done it.

  Seeing him sitting there shirtless, cooking for me, with a backdrop of sun-dappled leaves and a small stream trickling in the background was a memory I wouldn’t have wanted to miss out on. Now it was mine to keep forever, to add to the collection of moments with him that became more valuable to me all the time. Spending the night in his arms was easily at the top of the list so far, though Asher had an amazing ability to top himself when it came to impressing me.

  Maybe we could just have this one more day. He’d told me the drive to Mississippi would take another twelve hours. I needed to get there anyway. I needed to inform Lad and Ryann of what Audun was up to. After that, maybe I’d stay in Altum a night or two and regroup, come up with a plan for the rest of my life.

  “So... what do you want to do today?” Asher asked.

  I finished chewing my bite of blueberry muffin. “What do you mean? We’re driving, aren’t we?”

  “Yes, but I thought we might take a hike first. If anyone was following you, they’ve gone long past us now, or they’re still busy checking out every hotel along the highway between here and Knoxville. I picked up a park map at the store. There’s a big waterfall not too far from our campsite. And over in Luray there’s a giant cavern full of stalactites and stalagmites, if you’re interested. We’d have to drive there, but it would probably be worth it. I’ll bet you’ve never seen anything like it.”

  I swallowed a laugh. I could show him a cavern that would knock his little human socks off—and it was about five miles outside his hometown in Mississippi. “The hike to the waterfall sounds nice but we should probably hit the road after that.”

  “So eager to get back to the boondocks.” He shook his head and took a small pill bottle from the bag, removing the cap and tapping a few assorted tablets into his palm. He threw them into his mouth and washed them down with coffee.

  “What are those?” I asked. “You’re not sick, are you?”

  The chilling sensation of alarm was yet another reminder we shouldn’t be together. I would never contract a human virus, infection, cancer, or heart disease. I’d live forever unless something violent happened to end my life—which admittedly was a possibility considering my current reckless behavior. But Asher... he was fragile, in spite of his strength. If I decided to give in to this thing, I would eventually lose him. I wasn’t sure I could handle that.

  “Healthy as a horse.” He grinned. “These are supplements—iron, Vitamin D, a multivitamin. Granddaddy got me started on them real young—he’s a big believer. He always says, ‘Good health is better than muckle wealth.’”

  And just like that I was laughing again. It was hard to be morose around Asher. After finishing breakfast and cleaning up we made our way to the closest path and headed for the waterfall he’d spotted on the park map. Because I wasn’t really geared up for proper hiking, we stuck to the beaten path.

  He was right—Dark Hollow Falls wasn’t far away. It would have been worth a long hike, though. Water rushed over an uneven slope of dark, moss-covered rocks, splitting into several separate falls then rejoining in a single stream into a cold, rock-lined pool at the bottom. The entire picture was framed by orange and yellow-leafed trees that reflected in the water.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Asher looked back over his shoulder at me then resumed taking pictures with his phone.

  “It is. Gorgeous.”

  Cool mist rose off the water and glowed in the morning sun, making the place feel magical. It seemed like an Elven place. Because it was early, we were the only ones there. Taking a seat on a boulder overlooking the water, Asher and I stretched out our legs and enjoyed the view.

  “I like this,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. “I could live here.”

  “Live here, city girl? That’s a bold statement. You do realize there’s no Nordstrom or Starbucks around the corner, right?”

  “I mean it. Maybe not here but somewhere remote, somewhere quiet. It’s so peaceful. I don’t need Nordstrom or Starbucks. I think the things that really make you happy are the simplest... like the taste of hot coffee in the morning.” I held up the cup he’d given me and gestured to the rippling stream. “And the sound of running water, the smell of fresh air.”

  He nodded, looking thoughtful, no doubt thinking of his own ambitions to leave the simple life behind. “You can have those things in a big city.”

  “Yes,” I agreed. “But they can get lost in all the noise and busyness. And even a city of millions of people can be lonely if you feel like no one really knows you. There’s something precious about knowing people—and being known. You have that in Deep River.”

  “I never thought about it like that before.” He laughed. “You almost make me want to stick around that little one-horse town.” But his smile disappeared as he worked his fingers under a clump of moss and pried it from the rock. “My dad says only losers stay, live, and die in the town where they were born.”

  “I’ve never heard you mention your father before. You’ve talked about your mom, and you mention your granddaddy all the time, but never your dad.”

  His expression curdled. He threw the moss into the water and watched it bob and float downstream. “There’s not all that much to say. I see him about once or twice a year. He’s a decent guy, I guess.”

  “So your parents are divorced.”

  “They were never married.”

  “Oh. Where does he live? In Mississippi?”

  “No. Right now he’s in Houston, I think. He moves around a lot—short attention span.” He smirked. “I’ve always thought it was a pretty cool life, traveling, seeing new places, no responsibilities, nothing to tie you down.”

  Contrary to his words, his face betrayed how deeply it hurt that his father bothered to see him only a few times a year. He was acting tough, but I knew—kids needed their dads. It was bad enough when your father was absent through no fault of his own, like mine. When it was by choice... well, I could only imagine the pain.

  I folded my fingers with his and looked directly into his eyes. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

  The way he held my gaze was so intense, so intimate, my heart flipped over in my chest and started mugging my lungs, stealing their oxygen. I pulled my hand away and pretended to stretch.

  “So, wanna trade lives? I’ll live on the farm in Deep River, and you can take over my place in California—and deal with my mother.” I forced a laugh.

  Tension broken, Asher laughed, too. He looked up at the sky as if pretending to think about it. “Does this deal come with a Corvette?” Jumping to his feet, he struck a pose on the boulder. “Although I’m not sure how I’d go over as a supermodel.” Another silly pose. “What do you think? Next swimsuit edition?”

  I pretended to click photos as he rotated through a few more Vogue moves. Then Asher whipped off his shirt—and looked like the real thing. He wasn’t Elven, but with his height and wide shoulders and muscular build, he could give most of them a run for their money. Maybe all of them. Even Culley’s physique didn’t appeal to me this much.

  I t
ried to keep my voice casual. “What are you doing?” Besides making me drool?

  “I’m going in for a quick swim,” he said. “Want to come?”

  Taking in his bare torso and his hands moving down to the button of his jeans, I ducked my head and got to my feet. “No, you go ahead—it’s too cold for me. I need to go to the bathroom before we get on the road anyway. I saw a sign on the trail for one.” Keeping my eyes trained on my toes, I headed for the path, making a hasty retreat from the too-tempting sight.

  Asher’s voice followed me to the trail. “Okay, your loss. I’ll catch up to you in a minute.”

  After visiting the bathhouse and freshening up, I waited at the head of the trail for Asher. He arrived within five minutes, fully clothed thank God, but no less tempting. His cheeks were pink with exhilaration. Against them his eyes looked ultra-blue. His smile was wide and dazzling.

  “Now that was a cold shower.” He shook his head, flinging the remaining water from his short hair. “I feel like a new man. Maybe you’re right—maybe it is the simple things in life.”

  I nodded and fell into step beside him, bracing myself for a twelve hour ride inches away from the most tempting guy I’d ever met.

  I’d been right about another thing, too. I was in trouble with this guy. As soon as we got back to Deep River, I had to erase his memory and get away from him—before I forgot everything else that mattered.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  We Never Met

  We made it to town around nine Friday night. Because it was Black Friday, many of the stores on Main Street were still open for pre-Christmas shoppers, and there was a decent amount of traffic on the street.

  The Sonic, of course, was jumping. Asher pulled in and parked in one of the diagonal spots, rolling down his window and checking out the lighted menu board. His finger hovered over the red call-button.

  “Know what you want?”

  “Um... no. I’ve never eaten here before.”