by Kara Jimenez
She giggled. “Peter, you’re going to get flour all over you.” She held her hands out so the sticky dough wouldn’t touch his clothes.
He buried his head into her golden hair, inhaling the burnt woodsy smell from the fireplace she’d worked over, mixed with the scent of fresh bread. “I don’t care, these are my work clothes. Touch me.”
She placed her hands on each side of his face, bits of dough stuck on the stubble that dotted his cheeks. “You’re not the one who will have to wash them,” she teased, placing her lips on his.
He groaned, lifting her up onto the table and pushed her legs apart, pressing himself against her.
Her legs wrapped around him. “I love you, Peter. I’m yours, forever.”
Peter clutched a pillow to his chest, trying to hold in the pieces of his heart that crumbled with the pain of more than a century without her.
Levi tossed a branch through the crisp, fall air, sending Aldo running across the driveway to get it. He laughed at the dog’s goofy tail wagging as it dived into a pile of orange leaves, searching for the stick. Heavy clouds gathered above and when he glanced up at the sky, a tiny drop fell on his nose. He shivered. Maybe they should go back inside the house, but Aldo looked like he was having too much fun.
The distant sound of tires on the gravel made the dog look over.
Levi recognized the sound as Peter on his way for another visit and he groaned. Did he really have to deal with this right now? It’d ruin his perfectly good mood.
“What now?” Levi asked as Peter climbed out of the car.
“You’re always so happy to see me. Warms my heart.” Peter smirked, holding his hands against his chest and sauntering toward him.
“Haven’t you heard? They have this thing called a telephone now. You don’t have to actually come for a visit every time you have something to say,” Levi said.
“Maybe I just miss your handsome face, asshole.”
Levi rolled his eyes, throwing the stick again for Aldo.
“Did you know Bianca has a photo of you?” Peter crossed his arms. “From 1909?”
Levi froze, slowly turning to look at him. “What? There are no pictures of me. I never let anyone take my picture.”
“Eh.” Peter shrugged. “I may have taken one without you knowing around that time.”
Levi ignored Aldo trying to give him back the stick. “Are you joking with me right now? Because this isn’t funny.” A cold splash landed on his forehead and he brushed it off.
Peter held up his hands. “I’m not joking. I was hired to photograph the courthouse. You just happened to be walking by. I didn’t think it would be that big a deal. You’re only in the background.”
Levi sat down on the porch steps, holding his head in his hands. “And Bianca has this photograph now? Does she know it’s me?”
Peter shrugged. “She said something about it being your great grandfather.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Levi narrowed his eyes.
Peter held out his hands and started pacing as if he were a school teacher giving a lesson. “Okay, sure, I’d stick needles up your fingernails to find out how the hell this curse started.” He paused, moving his head back and forth. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I might try that later. But… I still don’t want to be exposed to the general public. That wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
“And how do you know Bianca has this photo?” Levi’s face grew hard. “Did you see her again?”
Water splashed all around them now as the clouds emptied their burden.
“I did, because she asked to see me.” He smirked and ran a hand through his wet hair. “She invited me over to her house. We had a really good time.” He emphasized the last sentence.
Levi jumped up and got in Peter’s face. “I told you to stay away from her.”
“And you don’t tell me what to do.” Peter planted his feet and stood with his arms crossed.
Levi studied him as the rain dripped down their foreheads. “I know why you like her, but she’s not Clara.”
“Who said that she was?” Peter pressed his lips together.
“I see the similarities and I understand why you’d find that appealing, but they’re not the same person. Not even close.”
“And you know her so well, right? If I remember correctly, she was kissing me while you were still sitting around watching her.” Peter’s eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.
Levi took a deep breath. “I’m not going to do this again. We don’t need to start throwing punches every time we see each other.”
“Why not? Hurts like hell, but it heals in a couple minutes.” He shrugged. “I find it’s a good stress reliever.”
“Just go.”
Peter huffed, opened the door of his car and leaned against it. “She likes you, doesn’t she?”
Levi shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. I think maybe.”
“I saw you playing disc golf. She seemed happy.” Peter looked down, scuffling his feet on the gravel. “Later man.” He slid into the seat and started the engine.
Bianca stood in the kitchen clutching the photograph and studying the familiar, handsome face. How could a distant relative look so ridiculously similar? She sighed. Even if it was his grandfather, it made her miss Levi terribly. She picked up her phone and called him.
When he answered, her stomach flipped at the deep sexy sound of his voice.
“Hey, Levi. It’s my day off and I was planning to go out for a bike ride. You already know that I usually ride in your area, so… can I stop by?”
He was quiet for a second longer than expected. “Yeah, I think we need to talk. Come over. About an hour or so?”
Her throat grew dry. He thought they needed to talk? She swallowed. “Yeah, about an hour. See you then.”
Bianca clutched the handle bars, grateful for the long ride before she had to face Levi. Was he breaking up with her? They weren’t even officially together. Her muscles burned and the wind rushed past her cheeks, calming her some. The rain had ceased, leaving the ground wet and the air smelling sweet and fresh. The cool breeze on her skin countered with the inner heat generated from the exercise.
She rode further into the countryside until everything started to look the same. A thick covering of trees surrounded the road on both sides. Would she recognize his driveway? She’d only seen it the one time.
A mailbox marked Elwood sent a jolt of recognition through her and she exhaled a sigh of relief.
Peddling down the long gravel driveway, her heart beat erratically from both exercise and nerves. He couldn’t be breaking up with her. Everything had been going so well. Did he know Peter had come over yesterday? She rode around the curve and hopped off her bike a few feet from the house, leaning it against a tree. She stood a moment to catch her breath. Hopefully he wasn’t watching her through the window. How embarrassing. But she didn’t want to knock on his door breathing like a fat lady climbing the stairs.
A movement in the woods caught her attention. Her eyes darted around the moss covered branches, searching for the origin.
A pair of yellow eyes. Adrenaline shot through her body as she took in the animal’s pointed ears and huge snout. The mountain lion watched her, unblinking.
What were you supposed to do in these situations? Don’t make any loud noises? Or do make noise? Shit. She couldn’t remember a damn thing. Her feet locked in place as she watched the gigantic beast.
It took a step forward. It’s golden fur shone as it stepped into a beam of sunlight filtering through the trees.
She swallowed and ran for the door of the cabin. Immediately the lion’s heavy footsteps followed.
The door swung open and Levi appeared. He ran straight for the mountain lion, yelling, “Gun, in truck!” before he tackled the beast. Throwing his burly arms around the lion and grunting as he squeezed the huge body.
Bianca watched the scene, eyes wide and thoughts a blubbering mess.
Growls erupted fr
om the wrestling pair, twisting and tumbling over the dirt. The lion stretched its neck around and with his gigantic teeth, bit into Levi’s shoulder.
He screamed a terrifying, gut-wrenching sound and seemed to relax his grip on the animal. Crimson liquid flowed over them both.
She finally willed her legs to move and ran for the truck, throwing the door open. A rifle lay across the seat and she grabbed it, surprised by the weight. What the hell was she supposed to do next? Toss him the gun? He was in no shape to reach out and take it from her.
Dark red stains covered both Levi and the mountain lion. Don’t think about the blood. Don’t think about the blood. Lifting the rifle, she aimed for the lion. Her hands shook. What if she hit Levi instead? She lowered the rifle and ran forward until she was only a few feet away from the distracted mountain lion’s head.
She took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.
The force of the shot pushed her backward, sending her tumbling onto the muddy dirt. The snarling stopped. She stumbled to her feet, tossing the gun aside.
Both Levi and the lion lay in a tangled heap on the ground, blood everywhere, neither of them moving.
Sobs tore through her body as she leaned over them. The bullet had gone through the lion’s head, right underneath his ear.
Warm, salty tears flowed from her eyes, blurring her vision. A strange shrieking echoed through the trees, which she finally realized came from her.
The lion’s golden eyes stared straight ahead, but he lay motionless on top of Levi. She grabbed the hind legs and pulled with all her strength. It only moved a few inches. Sobbing and gasping for breath, she yanked the lion again, until she’d dragged it completely off of Levi’s body.
Dropping the mountain lion, she crawled over to Levi and pulled his head into her lap. He didn’t respond in any way. His eyes remained closed and his chest still. A huge gash had been torn through his stomach and a chunk taken from his arm.
“No! No! No! No! No!” She clutched his body and leaned in to kiss his unresponsive lips as tears flowed over her cheeks onto his face.
The overwhelming blackness faded, replaced by an intense and burning pain. Levi wanted to writhe and scream in agony but his body lay still, completely unresponsive to his minds commands. After several torturous minutes, the pain subsided enough to focus on other sensations, like the delicate brushing against his lips.
What was happening? The last thing he remembered was seeing the mountain lion charge toward Bianca. Muffled sobs broke through his consciousness. She sounded so sad. The sound became clearer as the pain continued to recede. Bianca. She was crying. How could he comfort her? Gentle pressure on his lips again. Bianca was kissing him.
Bianca was kissing him!
Joy filled him, pushing away all remnants of pain. He still had little control of his body, but he managed to find the strength to move his lips gently against hers, relishing every second of his angel’s touch. Sensation returned to his arm and he lifted it, sliding his fingers through the hair on the back of her neck.
She gasped and jerked away from him.
Shit. Coming back from an injury like this wasn’t normal. What was he going to tell her?
“Levi? Oh my God, you’re breathing!” Her hands ran along the sides of his face. “You’re breathing.”
He opened his eyes and found Bianca leaning over him, her red hair falling over his body and tears dripping down her cheeks.
“Hey, it’s okay.” He wiped away the wetness on her face with his thumb.
She turned her head, scanning his body and her eyes grew wide. “You’re not h-hurt… anymore.” Her hands hesitated above him. Finally, she pulled the tattered shreds of his shirt to the side, inspecting his stomach.
His breathing hitched as she ran her fingers along the line where the mountain lion had sliced him. He needed to be thinking of a way to explain this, but it was impossible to focus when she touched him.
“How is this possible?” Her eyes were huge and her hands shook. “Your stomach… it was… horrible… and now… and your arm…”
His heart dropped. This was the moment he’d been dreading. The moment she realized he was different and left his life. But he couldn’t let her go, couldn’t lose her like he’d lost Edith. He had to find a way to explain it without frightening her.
“I…I can heal.” Nailed it. He felt like slapping his forehead.
She gave him a look that clearly said no duh. “I can see that. I’m asking how!”
“Do you remember the orchard where I first met you?”
She nodded and crossed her arms. “Like I could forget your ridiculous overreaction.”
He took a deep breath. “One of the trees grows apples that are special. If you eat one, you’ll never die.” He’d just told her everything Peter and his father had been trying to get out of him for the last year. She was close with Peter, but he didn’t think she’d be able to accept this unless she knew the whole truth. Hopefully he could trust her.
She stared at him like she hadn’t understood a word he’d said.
“Bianca?” Was this when the screaming and running started?
Her eyelids blinked. “A magic apple? Are you crazy?”
Maybe he was. “I know. It sounds ridiculous.” He glanced over at the mountain lion lying beside him, a hole through its head. Did she do that?
“Ridiculous? Yeah, it sounds ridiculous alright! Your heart stopped beating! You were dead!” She stood, frantically brushing the mud off her jeans. Blood stains covered her light green sweater and a twig stuck onto the material. “I have to get out of here.” She turned toward her bike, leaning against a tree a few feet away.
“Wait!” He used his arm to support his weight and then pushed himself up to a standing position, his body still shaky. “Please, don’t go. I’ll explain everything.” He walked toward her, pleading with his eyes.
She held up her hand. “Stay back.”
His feet came to a stop. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Her face softened. “I know, but… this is crazy. I don’t really know how to handle this. I’d think you were pulling my leg or completely off your rocker, except… I just saw it.”
“I understand.” His head dropped. “It took a long time for me to process, the first time it happened. Do you want to go inside and talk?”
She stared at him, her face blank. “Tell me about the apples. Where did they come from?”
“Let’s talk about this inside. I’m not entirely comfortable out here. There are people who want this information and they’ve been known to spy on me.”
Her jaw dropped. “It’s a whole big thing. People spy on you?”
“Let’s just go inside and we’ll talk, I promise.” He walked toward her holding his hands up to show he meant no harm.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay, fine.”
His face relaxed. He hurried to the door, held it open and they walked inside.
Bianca thought she might be having a panic attack. Her heart pounded and she could barely breathe. She’d just seen Levi… come back to life. Part of her rejoiced that he was okay. When she’d seen him lying on the ground, mauled and bloodied, it’d been the worst moment of her life. She’d only just begun to know him and he was being torn away from her.
But now… he was alive again and she couldn’t wrap her head around how that was possible.
“Make yourself comfortable.” He gestured toward the couch.
She sat on the plaid loveseat and looked around the room. Everything was very… manly. She could almost laugh if she wasn’t so freaked out. Obviously, this home belonged to a single guy. He kept it clean and tidy but, the only colors in the room were blue and green, along with wood, lots and lots of wood. There were paneled walls and a bookcase and table that looked like they might be handmade. A roughly chiseled figurine of a bear stood on the stone mantel of the fireplace.
“Would you like a drink?” He walked toward the open kitchen.
&nbs
p; “Yes, something strong, please.”
He laughed, digging through the kitchen cabinets. “That bad, huh?”
She ran her hand over her face. This would be a lot easier to handle if his clothes weren’t ripped to shreds and hanging off his sculpted body.
He poked his head around the cabinet and the glint in his eyes gave her the distinct impression he’d caught her staring at his abs.
The blood rushed to her cheeks and she looked away.
A smile crossed his lips as he took a couple of glasses and bottle of bourbon out of the cupboard and walked over to the coffee table, setting it down in front of her.
“I should go change.” He held out one of the strips that hung from his shirt. “Do you want me to throw your clothes in the washer? I mean, you can’t go home looking like that.” He waved his hand toward her, indicating the mud and blood that covered her clothes. “I’ll find something for you to wear, of course. Sweats or something.”
She glanced down at her clothes and bit her lip at the thought of undressing in his house, even in private. “Um, yeah. I guess you’re right.”
He nodded and disappeared into the bedroom.
Her shaky hand reached for the bourbon, filling both glasses and then taking a large swig of the one closest to her. She shivered as the burning liquid slid down her throat.
Levi came back into the room a few minutes later, dressed in fresh clothes, with sweats and a t-shirt slung over his arm. He handed her the items and nodded toward the bathroom.
When Bianca emerged, Levi cleared his throat and looked down at his glass, swallowing it all in one gulp. The sight of his t-shirt draped over her toned shoulders was enough to make him come undone. He almost dropped the glass in his hand.
She walked into the room, handing him her dirty clothes like she had no idea how sexy she looked.
“You kissed me… out there.” Oh, God, why did he say that?
She looked down, smoothing her hair with her palms. “I didn’t think I’d ever get another chance.”
