As I stood near the door, assessing the place, the man from the window walked towards the bar a few feet away. I assumed he was the bartender, from the towel he wore on his shoulder, obscuring a T-shirt so faded that I couldn't read what it said. He was a younger guy, not what you'd normally expect in a seedy looking bar such as this. He smiled at me, and my assumption was confirmed when he greeted me.
"Hey there. I don't think I've seen you here before. How are you doing tonight?"
The place was empty, which accounted for my car being the only one in the lot. His voice seemed to echo off the walls without the normal bar chatter to drown it. I walked towards one of the barstools in the middle.
"I could use a beer," I said, sitting down and rifling through my purse for some cash. "I'm not picky about the kind. Anything light on tap will do."
"Ah, a woman after my own heart. No complications." He grabbed a glass. As he began to pour, he looked at me and asked, "So what's your name?"
"Cassie," I answered, placing a ten on the bar at the same time he set my beer on a napkin in front of me.
"It's nice to meet you, Cassie," he said with a smile. "I'm Caleb. Welcome to Luke's."
His warm reception was a refreshing departure from the night I was having. It also emphasized his good looks. With short, blond hair, light blue eyes and a slight tan, he had that boy-next-door appeal, which made him seem even more out of place here. With his lean, muscular build, however, this boy next door definitely looked like he could handle himself if a patron got out of hand.
I thanked him and slowly took my first sip, almost moaning with the gratifying indulgence. I wanted it to dull my senses, so I wouldn't have to think about being a Guardian. If only for a short time, I could ignore the deaths I felt responsible for. But I knew there was no amount I could drink that could ever make me forget.
Lost in my indulgence for the moment, I opened my eyes and found Caleb casually leaning against the counter behind him, arms and legs crossed. I was quite certain the smile on his face this time had nothing to do with graciousness, but more my drinking performance.
Embarrassed, I said, "It's been a really crazy night."
"So tell me, Cassie, what was so crazy about your night that it brought you here for a make-out session with your beer?" he laughed.
Heat burned my cheeks as I laughed at his joke, holding my hand to my face in mortification. It felt surreal to be in an empty bar now, laughing after what I'd just witnessed not more than an hour ago. I wished my life could be as simple as sitting in a bar, having a beer, and joking with a guy like Caleb, but I knew that could never happen. Reality was never that simple for me.
"It's a long story, and I wouldn't even know where to begin," I explained, realizing there was no way I could ever tell him what brought me here.
"Well, it couldn't be as crazy as what just happened down the street. Did you see that crash? I ran out earlier when I heard it. Man, that car had to have been flying to do that much damage. I haven't had anyone come in since it happened, so I'm not sure about the details. I can't even imagine how anyone in that car survived." Caleb grabbed another glass and poured himself a beer. He set it across from mine, leaned against the bar, and looked at me expectantly.
Contemplating how much I wanted to reveal, I took another drink of my beer, being careful to remain moan-less this time. I hated lying to anyone, so I always looked for ways to describe impossible explanations as truthfully as I could get them, without sounding like I belonged in an institution.
I couldn't deny seeing or hearing what happened. Luke's was situated on Palmer, not far from the corner of the intersection with Fourth Street, which was completely shut down now, due to the accident. There was no way of getting into the parking lot without seeing that something major was going down on Fourth. There was also a very likely possibility that Caleb would have seen my empty car sitting in the lot this whole time. He may have even watched me book out of it towards Fourth right before everything happened. He did say he ran out after he heard the crash. Hell, I thought, he could have witnessed just about everything I've done since I've gotten here and I wouldn't know it.
"Actually," I said, "it's funny you mentioned the crash—" The front door slammed and I jumped, nearly biting my tongue in mid-sentence. In any other setting, possibly any other night at Luke's, it may not have been a slam at all, but because of the emptiness within, it seemed to echo louder than it should have. Caleb and I turned our heads toward the door at the same time.
The figure of a man filled the doorway. His face was shadowed from the angle of moonlight coming through the window, but his frame was tall and strong, broad shoulders filling out a hip-length, black leather jacket. He stepped away from the door and into the dim light of the bar. I was mesmerized by his dark allure, and found myself unable to look away. Short, dark, tousled hair severely contrasted silver-blue eyes, unlike any I'd ever seen, yet they seemed strangely familiar at the same time.
In my peripheral vision, I could see that Caleb seemed just as captivated by the man. We both stared as if compelled to find out who he was and what he was doing there, with our penetrating gazes somehow able to unlock that mystery. I knew how ridiculous we must have looked to him. He was someone just coming into a bar, after all. But I couldn't seem to break my trance, and it didn't help that he was blatantly staring back at me.
Caleb finally broke the spell after what seemed an eternity of not being able to blink. He pushed back from the bar and faced the stranger at the door. I thought I heard Caleb quietly sigh before greeting him.
"What can I get you, friend?" he asked, not as graciously as the title would assume, and definitely not as pleasantly as how he welcomed me.
The man came up and stood behind the stool next to mine. Not wanting to embarrass myself further with my awkward gawking, I turned my head back to the bar and grabbed my beer.
"I'll have a whiskey straight," he said.
My head jerked up automatically from the sound of his deep voice. I knew that voice! I sat there with my mouth hanging open and eyes wide with shock as I looked at the profile of the man I'd had countless encounters with since I was sixteen. I was entranced as he pulled money from his wallet.
Standing next to me was the man who'd been haunting my visions for years.
CHAPTER THREE
I charged through the woods, terror propelling me faster than I've ever run before. Branches ripped at my thin dress and lacerated exposed areas of my body, leaving bark in my skin and blood dripping from the wounds. The bottoms of my bare feet received the same torture from tree roots protruding out of the earth. I should have been in agony, but the adrenaline pumping through my veins masked any pain my body felt. It was the same thing causing me to perspire, while my breath formed puffs of steam in the chilly night air.
I looked over my shoulder, searching for the man who was chasing me. I saw nothing but the forest around me, but I knew he was there. I could feel his power energizing the air. Turning back, I slammed into something solid. Trembling, I looked up and my heart stopped as I stared into the face of the man I feared most. He grabbed my arms to hold me still, burning my skin under the pressure of his touch.
I knew I should try to free myself, but he drew me closer with an uncanny magnetism. His beauty enticed me like no other man ever tempted me before. While his body was perfect masculinity, with broad shoulders, lean muscular arms, and a taut stomach, his face possessed a mesmerizing softness. Dimples outlined his lush lips, making the hard lines of his jaw seem less intimidating, and promising a smile to warm even the iciest of hearts.
Every feature seemed created for perfection, but it was his eyes that locked me in. The lightest shade of blue, they seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. Unable to break away, I gazed into those eyes with tears in my own, as he brought his lips to mine. The kiss was gentle, but held a power that seemed to possess my very soul with its caress. He held me close, and I could feel the hard muscles of his chest press against me.
>
A cool wind brushed across my wet lips as he ended the kiss, and an emptiness came over me. Keeping his face only inches away, his fingers caressed my cheeks.
"Tell me you love me."
My heart beat fast in my chest, as if it wanted to answer him on its own, binding itself to him forever. My eyes locked with his, and as much as it terrified me to tell him how I felt, I was compelled to answer.
"I love you," I said breathlessly.
A smile grew slowly from his mouth. The reaction should have pleased me, but I only felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
"Will you kill me now?" my voice shook.
His smile faded, but he did not pull back. "No," he said, softly. "You will do that yourself, Cassandra."
***
There was no doubt in my mind that the man next to me was the same one who had been in my visions for the last six years. He was real, and he was at Luke's buying a whiskey? I almost felt cheated. For so long, I wondered what this vision was all about, feeling that it held some deeper meaning I would someday grasp. Yet, here I was at some seedy bar and the man in my dreams shows up and orders a whiskey. Now what? Save him from dying of inebriation?
"Will you kill me now?" I asked him in the vision. The recollection of my haunting words surfaced to the forefront of my mind. The nagging feeling that it was me that needed saving crept up as I looked at the object of my recurring vision standing before me. It paralyzed me to think that my time had finally come. There was no journal entry for this. I had saved countless souls at a moment's notice. Could I save my own now? Would I need to?
He turned towards me with the whiskey in his hand. His familiar angular face was just as strong and beautiful as it had always been; his eyes, just as mesmerizing, as they looked back at me. The dimple that I'd seen so many times, deepened with the smirk that widened his perfect lips. I couldn't take my eyes off those lips, remembering the possession they held over mine time and again.
His eyes left mine and roamed my face, as if memorizing my every feature. They drifted down my neck and chest, caressing me with an invisible hand. My skin tingled as if it remembered his sensual touch. I shivered and found myself wanting him to take me in his arms and warm me. I knew it was wrong; I didn't even know this man, but at the same time, I felt as if I'd been in his arms forever.
"You gotta name, friend?" Caleb asked.
"Hunter," he answered, releasing me from his spell and giving Caleb his attention.
"Welcome to Luke's, Hunter." he said offering his hand over the bar. "Name's Caleb."
Hunter shook his hand, but held onto it when their greeting ended. They stared at each other in silent battle, their locked hands an afterthought. Did these guys know each other? What had I gotten myself into now? After the night I'd already had, I didn't feel like being caught in the middle of any crossfire. I knew I should get out while their testosterone blinded them from my exit, but I couldn't leave, knowing that I'd had visions of this man for years. I had to find out who he was and why he was here.
I cleared my throat. It was the only thing I could think of besides trying to arm-wrestle these two powerhouses away from each other. Their hands fell apart and Hunter turned to smile at me, but Caleb continued to glare at him. The tension was still in the air. I smiled and extended my hand to Hunter, in an attempt to break through it.
"Hi Hunter, I'm—"
"Cassandra," he finished.
There was no draft in the bar, but shivers ran down my spine after I heard my name spoken with the deep, resonating voice that I'd heard countless times. I stared at his lips, remembering the gentle pressure of them against my own, and my heart began to race.
His smile captivated me. It was the kind of smile that made you lose focus in everything else around you and be content to simply sit and stare. I couldn't imagine any woman being able to turn away from it. I'd been seeing it for the last six years and even I wasn't immune.
"Do I know you?" I asked him, not bothering to tell him the nickname most people referred to me by. I liked the sound of my full name coming from his lips. It was formal, yet seductive.
Without taking his eyes off mine, Hunter slowly raised his hand to my breast. I sucked in a breath, and watched his hand nudge my open jacket aside and grab the nametag on my shirt. "Just a guess," he said in amusement.
My hand moved to the tag I had forgotten to take off after my shift at the hospital. My fingers brushed his, lingering just a bit longer than I was comfortable with, sending a blast of heat into my body. When I looked up at him, he slowly let go.
"Oh, of course," I said. Every ounce of my being screamed that he knew me better than he was letting on. The way he looked at me was much more intimate.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Cassandra. Mind if I join you?" he asked as he started to straddle the stool. He pulled off his jacket, revealing a broad chest and rippled stomach. The black T-shirt he wore emphasized his tan, muscular arms. He was powerfully built from head to toe. No amount of clothing could hide that.
Caleb busied himself by washing glasses underneath the bar. What glasses needed washing from an empty bar was beyond my comprehension. He seemed nervous all of a sudden. Was Hunter making him nervous? Was he getting a vibe from him too?
"So, you from around here, Hunter?" he asked.
"No. I was just passing through."
"Oh yeah? Where you from?" Caleb continued.
Hunter took a sip of his whiskey. "It's a little place in the middle of nowhere, really. I doubt you'd know where it is."
"Try me. I've been around quite a bit." Caleb stood up straight and looked right at Hunter. He was starting to sound more like an interrogator, but if it bothered Hunter, he didn't show it.
"It's a small area near Sequoia National Forest, nothing much around. About 200 miles north of Death Valley. Ever been there?" It sounded more like a challenge than a question.
"I've heard of the area," Caleb said, "but can't say that I've ever been there. To be honest, I'm not really much of a hot weather type of guy."
Hunter smirked and nodded, as if he already knew this.
"What about you, Cassandra?" Hunter asked, turning towards me. "Ever been there?"
I was so busy watching the exchange between the two men and wondering what was really underneath it, that the question threw me off.
"Uh...no. I've never been out West," I managed to stutter out. "I've been here pretty much all my life."
"Well, if you ever happen to get out there, you'll have to look me up. I'd love to show you the forest sometime. It can be quite beautiful at the right times," he said with a smile.
Are you kidding me? I thought. He wanted to show me the forest? The same forest I ran through in my visions? There was no doubt in my mind that he knew me, and somehow he knew of the visions. Was it inevitable that I would end up in that forest with him? Why else would I be meeting him now?
I couldn't stop thinking about how completely lost I was. I had no idea what it all meant and what I was supposed to do. Why had everything changed? First my visions went haywire and I lost another soul, now this? It was all too coincidental. I learned long ago that there weren't any coincidences in my life.
I needed to talk to my mom. Why hadn't she called back? I looked down at my phone willing it to ring. I felt like I was going crazy. I needed my mom to tell me everything was all right again; that this was supposed to happen and I'd work it all out, just like I did when I found out I was a Guardian. I had a terrible feeling that this time was very different.
Hunter noticed my obsession with my phone. "Are you expecting a call?"
"Yes. My mom was supposed to call me back. I'm getting a little worried."
"You and your mom are close?" Caleb asked.
I welcomed the break from Hunter's gaze. Talking to Caleb seemed easier and much less dangerous for some reason. "Yes, very. She's really the only family I have left."
Caleb wiped down the bar around us. "Ahhh, that's nice. It's important to keep your loved ones c
lose. Never know when they won't be in your life anymore. Just look at that poor guy from the accident tonight. Bet he never thought that today would be his last." What an odd thing to say, I thought. He couldn't have known how horrible it was to hear in light of the circumstances.
Caleb's statement made me even more uneasy, and Hunter caught on. "I'm sure your mother is fine, Cassandra," he assured me, putting his hand on my thigh. My jeans didn't hold enough of a barrier from the heat of his touch. It spread throughout my body; resting in places I hadn't felt alive in a very long time.
He pulled his hand back, watching my reaction. The energy between us felt palpable. I'd never experienced anything like it. Was it possible that he felt it too? I suspected anyone within a hundred mile radius should have been able to feel it.
It was all too much for me. I had to get out of there. I needed to talk to my mom. Like now; before I had a breakdown. I downed the rest of my beer and set it on the bar. Caleb grabbed the glass, and moved to refill it.
"No, thanks, Caleb. I really should get going." I stood up and grabbed my purse. "I think I'll try to track my mom down. Thanks so much for the beer. It was nice meeting you both," I regarded each of them before walking to the door.
"Hey Cassie," Caleb called me back. When I reached the bar, he leaned over and motioned me closer. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime?" he asked quietly, as if not wanting Hunter to overhear. "You never told me about that crazy night you had."
I'd been asked out plenty of times before, but I usually made it a habit of turning men down. With my lifestyle, friends had been difficult to keep; boyfriends even more so. Neither really got used to being stood up at any given time. I got tired of trying to explain my actions, so eventually I just gave up on the social life; not much time for it anyway. My life consisted of school, working at the hospital, my mom, occasional nights out with Nora, and, of course, saving people from an early death by demon.
Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) Page 2
