He nodded and set about her apartment, pouring lines of it along her windowsills and vents throughout her place before lining the outside door that led to the corridor hallway.
“That should do it. I checked your closets and vents but didn’t see any in there. Have you had much activity lately?” he asked.
She hesitated, unsure as to why she trusted this handsome stranger with subjects that she had kept hidden for most of her life. Cautiously, she told him of her experience in the shower.
“Got it, you’ll have to rinse out the floor before taking another shower but I got it sealed for now.”
Unsure of what to say, she motioned to the couch. “Please make yourself at home, I’ll get us some beers. I hope Negro Modelo is o.k., it’s Mexican.”
“I love Negro, thank you.” he sat down and watched her get cold glasses out of her freezer and pour the beer into them. Under normal lighting, he was surprised to see how stunningly attractive she was. She had beautiful, sharp features and her long black hair glistened with a healthy sheen. He couldn’t tell the shape of her figure, she was wearing a summer business suit that was a size or two too large for her, but he guessed it was intentional, a way to ward off any possible suitors. She walked over to him carrying their beers when he asked softly “You’ve been seeing them for a while now?”
She handed him his beer and nodded. “Since I was little.”
He took a drink of his beer while she sat down on the opposite end of the couch. “Do your parents know? That you see them?” he asked and then immediately regretted it, seeing the tears well up in her eyes as she shook her head.
“I was six the first time I saw them and they were in my room. I was so scared I started crying for my Mom. When she came in to comfort me she saw me point to the corner. She didn’t see anything at first but then it leaped out at me and she saw it. She screamed and lunged for it, trying to protect me. When she grabbed it, it burst into flame and they were both instantly engulfed. Her screams brought my Dad running in but all he saw were flames filling my room. He pulled me out of my bed and was racing for the door when another creature grabbed his leg. When he turned and saw it, they both burst into flames too. I’ll never forget his face. He shoved me out the door and yelled at me to run. I made it to the neighbors house as our home turned into cinders, the heat was so intense. No one survived but me. The fire department ruled it an accident, faulty wiring in dryer. They didn‘t believe me when I said it was the monsters in my bedroom that killed them.” Tabitha was sobbing and Justin instinctively reached out to hold her. He stroked her hair, aware that it was even softer than it appeared.
“I‘m so sorry, so much pain, so much loss. I hope they are the only ones you have lost to these things.” he stated angrily when her sobs lessened. He felt her shake her head.
“No, Dylan, my first and only boyfriend. I was nineteen and we were supposed to be married. They killed him while we were… together… my first time.” Her breath started hitching.
“Sshh, it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” He murmured.
Vehemently, she shoved away from him. “The hell it wasn’t! I killed them all! They’re all dead because of me!”
Understanding her sense of guilt because of his recent experience with Pixie, he gathered her in his arms again and was relieved that she didn’t fight him. “I’m sorry, Tabitha, I’m sorry.” He kept murmuring, soothing her until her tears subsided.
Tabitha felt all of the pain and sorrow ease out of her and slowly became aware of the solitude and loneliness she had been trapped in all of these years. She felt Justin’s strong hands holding her, stroking her hair and wiping her tears away. She moved her hands along his chest and felt the tight muscles underneath. The scent of him filled her and she felt the forgotten heat of passion start to consume her. She hadn’t been held since Dylan, and her body betrayed her desire. Three years of abstinence was a long time for anyone, and physical contact can cause even the sanest person to give into temptation and lust, she tried to tell herself.
Justin felt her change, felt her body soften even as she reached for him. For a moment he resisted, recalling Pixie but then he remembered the circumstances that brought him and this intriguing woman together and the protection he’d placed around her home. He forced himself to relax a little. He pulled away slightly and lifted her face to his, searching her eyes for just a moment before tentatively giving her a kiss. The passion that ignited between them was paranormal in and of itself and Justin found himself lost within her before he could even allow reason to raise it’s head. Her kiss became demanding and aggressive, as if she were a woman possessed. She was not the meek wallflower he had assumed. She was a fierce wild cat that matched his own need. He pulled her onto his lap, not allowing their lips to break contact for even a second. When she started moving against him he moaned and began frantically tearing at her blazer, as if the material itself was on fire and needed to be removed.
Tabitha felt a heat that she had never experienced before, even with Dylan. This beautiful man understood her tormented life and still wanted her. He knew of the demons, saw them himself and was still here, kissing her. She pulled at his jacket and shirt, hoping to get rid of both of them in one motion, aching to touch his flesh.
He suddenly pushed her back, angry with himself at losing his willpower so soon since Pixie. He had done his best to protect Tabitha’s apartment but since he wasn’t familiar with her surroundings, he knew he could have missed something. He had just found someone who seemed to have the same sense that he did and he didn’t want to risk losing her too. This was uncharted territory, for both of them.
Believing that he was disgusted with her lack of control, Tabitha sat back, apologetic tears filling her eyes and shame flushing her face. “I’m so sorry. I’m never that aggressive! I shouldn’t have been so pushy, I’ve just been so alone, for so long and you come in and you understand, you see what I do. . .” She trailed off quietly, embarrassed at her reaction to him. “I’m sorry.” she added softly.
“No, Tabitha. It’s me who should be sorry, not you! You are so beautiful and warm, I was the one who lost control. I should be protecting you and I lost sight of that, forgive me.” He cupped her face gently in his hands and kissed the tears from her eyes. “I meant what I said earlier, now that I’ve found you, I’m not going to let anything happen to you. We have all the time in the world. We can take it slow, okay?”
Tabitha closed her eyes, relieved that she hadn’t offended him and nodded, slowly resting her head on his chest. She lay there for a while, feeling his warmth and listening to his heartbeat, something she hadn’t done since Dylan.
He sat there kissing the top of her head, breathing in her scent and marveling at how this could be. This beautiful woman, another person who could see the demons in this world that no one else could see. He had never believed in fate before but now wondered at the events that had brought them together. They sat that way for a long time before her felt her stiffen, as if trying to come out of a bad dream. He murmured softly to her, trying to console her as she pulled herself up sleepily gazing around her living room.
“I’m sorry, I must’ve started to fall asleep.” She rubbed her eyes and gave him a sheepish grin.
“That’s okay. It’s not every day you start a new job, see several demons and then meet the man of your dreams.” he teased. He saw her eyes darken at the mention of the demon and quickly soothed her. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay the night.” He quickly put up his hands in a non-threatening gesture. “Sleeping only. Think of me as your night guardian, I’ll protect you while you sleep.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, unable to logically explain why she felt so safe with this man she had only met hours ago. Thinking of the demons again, she frowned and pulled away. “But what about you? You need your sleep too.”
He chuckled and pulled her back against his chest, aware that his body already felt empty when she wasn’t in his arms. “Years of trai
ning. You’d be amazed at how little sleep I need, I’ll stay here on the couch and catch some light sleep. I’ll be aware enough if something comes creeping into your apartment.”
Dismayed at the thought of him being away from her, she started to argue. “But you’ve already sealed the place, we could go into the bedroom and stretch out on the bed,” she caught his quick rebuttal and silenced him with her hand on his lips “just sleeping. We could just hold each other tonight.”
He saw the pleading in her eyes and gave in only after she agreed to let him seal the bedroom door with salt. She went into the bathroom and quickly changed into a T-shirt and terry shorts. She brushed her teeth and washed her face before heading back to her bedroom. She found him already in her bed, the sheets pooled around his waist. She involuntarily gasped when she saw his body, his chest and arms were muscular, even at rest. Soft, dark blonde hair curled on his chest and barely concealed the sharp muscle definition that contoured his stomach before it disappeared below her yellow cotton sheets. A scar trailed down his front.
Mistaking her gasp for fear he quickly sat up. “I have my shorts on, I am not naked under here!” He tried to reassure her.
She caught her breath again as the sheets fell lower around his waist as he raised himself up, the muscles in his chest and abdomen flexing as he pushed himself up. He was truly beautiful. “No, I wasn’t worried about that.” She stumbled over her words as she quickly crossed over to her side of the bed and slid in under the covers. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen a man, naked that is.” She trailed off, embarrassed by her confession.
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her lightly on her lips. “It’s okay but theoretically I’m not naked. I know what you meant though. It’s hard to live your life feeling so isolated, cut off from other people, like you’re some kind of freak. But you’re not, Tabitha, you’re beautiful and special so try to hang on to that.” Intense and serious, he pulled back to gaze into her eyes. “You are also no longer alone.”
She smiled at him feeling safe and secure for the first time since her childhood. She knew it was crazy to think this way. She had just met Justin and already she found that she not only trusted him but felt bound to him by the gift that they shared.
SIX
Tabitha woke with a start and looked around the room, finding no demons hidden in the shadows. She reached out and felt Justin beside her, relief filling her body. She was amazed that they had spent the last two days in her apartment talking and getting to know each other. They ordered in, neither one of them wanting to share a minute of their time with the outside world. They hadn’t slept together but shared passionate kisses, touching often as if to reassure themselves that the other really did exist.
She quietly moved closer to him, watching him sleep, taking in every line and muscle on his back. Her eyes caught the scars there and she tenderly traced their path with her finger. She had seen them the first night when he had rolled over to turn off the light but she didn’t ask or comment on them because the timing hadn’t seemed right. One long, jagged scar that started at the base of his neck and trailed along his chest towards his stomach, winding and twisting like the Colorado River and she wondered if a demon had done this to him. Boogymen, she recalled Justin calling them. Whatever they were, they were waking nightmares to her and seemed to be a part of her bleak future. Bleak until now.
She gazed at him wonderingly, feeling truly lucky to have found this gorgeous man who had a secret that they alone seemed to share. She didn’t feel alone or isolated anymore and she hoped that he felt the same.
“Hey beautiful. How long have you been awake…and um…staring at me?” he drawled sleepily, a little amazed at how well he had slept.
“Not long. I haven’t slept that hard for as long as I can remember. I actually felt safe last night, thank you.” she blushed.
“I still can’t believe I’ve found someone like you. You’re just going to have to get used to me touching you often, to make sure you’re real and not going anywhere. So tell me, what are you doing for the rest of your life?” he joked, although he realized he was somewhat serious. His surprise at finding someone else with his “gift” as he had called it was just as precious in his eyes as she seemed to feel. There was no question as to if they were going to be together or not, the question was, what were they going to do now.
“I have no place that I need to be so take me, I’m yours!” she teased, laughing as he threw himself on top of her, loudly placing sloppy kisses all along her neck. “Oh, wait! Crap! I just got a job! I start Monday with Ms. Todd and I can’t miss a day or I’ll be fired! Double crap! The timing couldn’t be worse!” she groaned and rubbed her forehead as Justin rolled off of her and leaned his head on his arm, a smile still lingering on his mouth.
“So quit. You don’t need a job, I’m here now.” he teased.
“Oh, no. Don’t start this ‘Me Tarzan, You Jane’ shit! I worked hard for my degree and truly want this job! It’s something I’m very proud of!” she cried, punching him in the arm to accentuate her fervor on the subject.
“Ooo! A feisty woman! I like that!” he teased again but then seeing her expression, sobered up quickly. “I am completely sympathetic to your situation and I will support you with whatever you choose. I would just like to bring up a couple of points so hear me out before you pounce on me again! Boogymen are everywhere and they don’t know you can see them, so if you attract their attention while you are redesigning a home or with a client, they won’t care who else is around. They will call others and bring on an attack, innocent people will be killed.” Seeing her open her mouth, he put a finger to her lips and pressed on, “Second, I am researching these things to try and eliminate them so that I can have a safer life. Sometimes it requires me to travel and I was hoping that you would be with me. I really don’t want to be without you.” he finished softly.
She looked at him for a moment before leaping on top of him, showering him with little kisses all over his face. “I don’t want to be without you either and I think you are fantastic! I know it’s crazy and insane but I’m excited by you and excited to get to know more about you. Let’s make something clear though, please don’t assume you know what I’m thinking! When you hushed me up, you thought I was going to argue, didn’t you?” she smiled down at him, one eyebrow raised in a questioning manner.
“Yes, I did. But you were, weren’t you? I was right, huh?” he looked at her boldly, daring her to say otherwise.
“Actually, I wasn’t! What I was going to ask you is how you know so much about them. I also wanted to ask you about your scars, if you would tell me about them.” Once again, she traced down the scar, this time trailing along the one on his chest she’d seen last night.
“Yes. I will, but first I need coffee and sustenance. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I also want to check on my protection seals, make sure no air leaks have moved any of our salt barriers.” He gave her a quick peck before rolling her onto the bed and getting up to quickly slip on his jeans, leaving his shirt off, she happily noted.
Justin was surprised at how easy and comfortable he felt with Tabitha and it appeared that she felt the same. After quickly showing him where some things were stored, they both fell into an easy rhythm in the kitchen together. He made the coffee and was grating fresh potatoes while she fried some bacon and got out the eggs. As they prepared their meal, they talked about their childhood, the schools they went to and places they had been. Not once did they bring up or mention the creatures or the effect they’d had on their lives. For a blissful forty-five minutes, they felt like what both of them imagined a “normal” couple felt like. They joked and teased, and occasionally stole kisses from each other.
They both sat down and enjoyed a few moments of peaceful eating before Tabitha broached the subject. “Have you always seen them, too?” she played with her eggs as she asked the question.
“I don’t remember seeing them until after the accident. I wa
s about seven when we were in a car accident, both of my parents, my two older sisters and younger brother, all died, I was the only one to survive. It was after I was placed in a foster home that I started seeing them.” he spoke quietly as if he was witnessing the horrific experience again.
“I’m sorry, Justin. I understand, if that helps at all.” she reached across and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back and smiled at her gratefully.
“I know. If anyone else said that, I would have mentally called them a liar but I know that you truly understand. My family died the same way your parents did.”
Tabitha looked at him. “You just said your family died in a car accident.”
“They did. When I got older, I became obsessed with the accident and the loss of my family. It didn’t feel fair that I survived and they didn’t. For a while I wanted to be dead with them, to not feel or have to deal with the pain. I got copies of newspaper clippings and the police report. Officially, it stated that my father fell asleep at the wheel, skidded off the road and rolled our van down the hill. They said death for everyone was pretty much instantaneous and pictures of the van indicate that. They said it was a ‘miracle’ that I survived, being strapped into my car seat in the very back where the flames didn’t reach.” Justin paused and took a drink from his coffee mug.
“How can you blame yourself? You don’t see it as a miracle?” she knew all about survivor’s guilt and imagined it must still be strong for Justin as she knew it was for her.
“It was no miracle, it was the boogymen. Absolutely nothing about the accident makes any sense at all. The facts just don’t line up. The accident happened around six in the evening, we had just eaten out and were on our way home. Why would Dad fall asleep at the wheel after suppertime? And if he was so tired, why wouldn’t he have my mother drive? Also, the road was slightly curvy but nothing that was unexpected or severe and the speed limit was only thirty-five miles an hour around the curves. The police statement said that Dad hadn’t been speeding and the weather was sunny and dry. Here’s the very last confusing piece of the puzzle, I survived a burning vehicle while sitting in the very back, where the gas tank sits.” He looked at her now and she saw the anger in his eyes.
Shadows Page 3
