My dryer wasn’t going to be of help. I gave him an apologetic look. “Do you have any others with you?”
“No,” he said ruefully. “I planned to be inside when the storm hit.”
“Hold on,” I said, heading back downstairs. “There are some of Danial’s old clothes beneath the guest bed.” After locating two pair of jeans and a couple shirts, I went back upstairs and handed them to him. “They should fit you.”
“Sure. We’re close enough,” he said, looking them over. He slipped into a pair of the jeans and one of the shirts, a black one. “Do they look okay? They’re a bit long.”
He looked to die for, but some of that was his incredible inherent sexiness. He’d probably be sexy in a garbage bag.
“Sar?” he said, amused.
“You look great. I have some socks you can borrow,” I said quickly, suddenly shy. I went into my bedroom, rummaging through the sock drawer for a pair of Theo’s. No sooner had I grabbed one then the whining, boisterous dogs knocked it from my hands in their eagerness to walk.
“Hush!” I said, rounding on them. “I’m moving as fast as I can—”
Right then, it hit me. I did feel better. I had more energy than I’d had in months. My hands were steady, and I wasn’t tired, despite I’d been awake all afternoon. Although the bedroom was cold, I wasn’t shivering.
Devlin had been right.
Socks forgotten, I ran back to him, and kissed him thoroughly, sliding my tongue into his mouth, pulling him against me forcibly. He kissed me back for a moment, and then drew back. “Do you need more already?” he whispered heatedly.
“I can feel it,” I said euphorically, looking at him in wonder. “You were right. You saved me.”
“Yes,” he agreed happily.
I stepped back from him, then faced him and stretched out my arms to him. “I am glad to come to you.”
He tilted his head, giving me a surprised look.
“Your last poem,” I explained.
Devlin leaned down and kissed me. “I will be making you very glad to come in a little while, Sar. Now please, I need some socks.”
I got the socks, still blushing. As he pulled them on, I looked out the windows. The storm was still howling, and it looked as if I had at least a foot of snow out here. That meant I’d need to plow. I began pulling on my coat, hat, and mittens.
“Where are you going?” Devlin asked. “Outside in this?”
I handed him a heavy jacket that had been Brennan’s. It was more of a duster, but it was very good at repelling water. “I need to walk the dogs. I’d like you to come with me.”
“Then I’m there,” he said jovially. Then he saw my face wasn’t smiling. “What is it?”
“I’ll need to plow when we get back,” I said, making a face. “I’ll be a few hours probably.”
“Danial hired someone to do that, didn’t he?”
“He’ll be busy until late morning, easy. I’m not comfortable being snowbound with the current vampire situation, even with your delicious self to keep me company. Are you?”
“If it must be done, I will do it for you,” he said with a tone of authority.
“Have you ever driven a tractor on ice?” I asked skeptically. “Can you operate a front end loader?”
He looked dubious, then shrugged. “How hard can it be?”
I laughed before I could stop myself. “If you can shovel the deck off, I can handle the plowing. But I’ll need you to move the bike over a little, so I can get the tractor out. You’re parked in front of it.”
He nodded, then took my hand. “Sure. But let us walk first, together.”
I never liked walking in snowstorms, especially when the snow was deep. But with Devlin at my side, I wasn’t as worried as usual. It helped we didn’t go far. Devlin seemed completely at ease though, throwing snowballs for the dogs to chase. We watched the snow falling, catching the lights of the barn to shine like fire in the air. We held hands for a while as we walked, my mittened hand in his ungloved one.
As I got the mail, I looked over the road. It hadn’t been touched, the deep layer of snow pristine. The plows were waiting for the morning, with school not in session over Christmas.
“So much for your plan,” he said, leading me back to the house. “Even if you plow the drive, we’re still snowed in.”
“If I don’t do it, I’m going to worry,” I explained, dressing in heavy insulated gear. “I know it doesn’t make sense—”
“But it’s your routine,” Devlin finished, nodding as he followed me downstairs. “I understand.” He rotated the end of his motorcycle, and walked it out of the way, so the tractor had a clear path. “Plow away.”
The tractor worked well, as it always did. I had a little trouble with traction, but not much. The snow was light, not wet and heavy, and my tractor was a John Deere 5310, large enough to push a car in drive in reverse with no problem. I did have to move some drifts, but there wasn’t much problem. The tractor went right through them.
I was self-conscious as I plowed, hoping I looked both smooth and skilled, and that I didn’t dig up the driveway if Dev was watching. The angle of the bucket was very important. Too much and the earth got dug up. Too little, and a few inches of snow was left covering the driveway that would turn to ice.
When I finally finished scraping the drive, I turned smoothly and headed back into the house. As I shut down the tractor, Devlin came down the stairs. When I stood up to step off the tractor, he lifted me down.
“Thanks,” I said. “Come on, I want to get out of these wet clothes.”
After hanging my outer clothes next to the wood stove beside his, I went into my bedroom. To my surprise, candles were lit and the Jacuzzi was full and running. I turned to Devlin behind me to see he was already taking off his clothes.
“You read my mind,” I said gratefully, slipping off the rest of my clothes.
As I settled down into the heavenly warm water, I watched Devlin step in and sit down. How many nights had I sat here and imagined this? Now he was here, and we were alone...
An unwelcome conscience spoiled my lustful thoughts, as it reminded stridently that this was Theo’s domain. Grimacing, I tried to drive it away.
Devlin unexpectedly moved to get out.
“No, stay,” I said firmly, stopping him. “You saved my life three times now. I want you here. Don’t take my being a little uncomfortable as a rejection.”
He nodded, and sank back down into the tub.
“Thank you for doing this,” I added. “I was cold.”
“You looked cold out there.”
“It’s okay. I’m warm now.”
“You’ll be warmer still very soon,” he said languidly, handing me a glass of wine.
I took it. He clinked my glass with his own. “To the rest of this week with you,” he said. “And what comes after.”
“What comes after?” I asked, sipping my wine.
“Whatever we make of it,” he answered devilishly, taking a sip of his wine. He put his wine to the side and relaxed back against the jets. I did the same, some of the tightness in my muscles leaving me.
We stayed in there for quite a while, just luxuriating in the warm water, not talking. After a half hour, he beckoned to me. As I settled into his lap, I felt him stiff beneath me. I turned and gave him a look of surprise. Devlin grinned at me, then stood up and took my hand. I opened the drain, then followed him. He led me to my bed, and pushed me down on it, covering my body with his.
I stopped him. “I have to eat something first, Dev. I’m starving.”
“That’s good, Sar,” he said, relieved. “I was worried that you hadn’t been hungry all day.”
I got up and handed him his jeans.
“I don’t have to dress,” he said wickedly. “Unless my nakedness distracts you as much as it once did.”
I held them out to him. “Attacks, Devlin. Possible attacks.”
He put them on as I put on a robe. We walked to the kitchen, hand in
hand.
“The desire for food left me with all my other ones,” I said seriously, rummaging around in my cupboards. “But I feel it again, thanks to you.” I gave him a smile and started heating up some water for pasta. “Want to watch something?”
He gave me a look. “Not likely.”
I handed him the remote. “No action movies, I promise. You can pick.”
As he sat down to peruse the channels, I went through the mail. Oddly, there was a package for Theo.
I looked at the padded envelope curiously. Who would be sending him a package? This wasn’t big enough for a gun, a box of ammo, or even a book. I shrugged, put it aside for him, and looked through the rest. There was a bill, some junk mail, and a few pleas from animal shelters asking for money. Tossing the junk mail, I wrote a quick check for the bill, and paper clipped it to January as a reminder. If we didn’t make it back, there was no use paying it. Taking a deep breath, I sorted through the pleas. Though I ended up pitching most, several I put aside to send a few dollars to. Throwing the pasta into the now boiling water, I went over and sat by Devlin.
“Decide on anything?”
Devlin looked at me, then leaned closer. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Your eyes are greener than they were. You’re upset.”
“I just was reading some pleas for animal related causes,” I replied. “It makes me sad, to hear about them eating dogs in Korea, or hurting greyhounds in order to make money from racing them.”
“Then why do you read these things? Why purposely feel bad?”
“Because someone has to,” I said staunchly. “Someone has to care, in order for the world to change. Someone has to let themselves be moved enough to say that doing this is wrong and that they aren’t going to act as if everything is okay. Most days I try to be that someone.”
Devlin hugged me close. “I know,” he said lovingly. “You’re a white knight on a steed, Love.”
Embarrassed, I drew back. “I have old episodes of ‘Supernatural’, if you’re interested.”
“I know Danial followed that,” Devlin said. “But I’m more of a classics man. Come, let’s check TCM.”
We watched only a little of some black and white movie before my timer sounded. Then I sank happily into pasta joy, eating an entire plateful. Logy with satisfaction, I settled back onto the couch with Dev. Within minutes, I was asleep in his arms.
I woke up to the ringing of the phone. “Want me to get it?” Dev offered.
I shot him a look, got to my feet, and answered the phone. “Hello?”
“Sar?” Danial said anxiously. “How are you weathering the storm?”
“Very well,” I said, forcing my tone to be solemn and not gleefully reckless. “I finished plowing and had dinner.”
“You sound like your old self,” he said happily.
“I felt a lot better today.”
“I’m glad. I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m better,” I replied, my eyes on Devlin who was watching me and grinning. “Really, I feel like my old self. I think the worst is past. It’s good you called; I’m heading to bed soon.”
“Sar, it’s only eight o’clock,” Danial said curiously.
“Tell him you have company,” Devlin whispered with a leer. “And you’re being considerate of your guest’s needs, going to bed early.”
“What was that?” Danial said sharply. “I heard someone—”
“The TV,” I said quickly, shooting Devlin a look to kill. “Really, don’t worry about me. As for bed, I’ll probably need to get up early to plow again, and I need my sleep.”
“Has Theo called you?”
“No,” I said coolly. “If he calls you, please tell him I’m fine. I’d rather not talk to him.”
“All right,” Danial said neutrally. “I’m very glad you are feeling better. Get some sleep.”
“I love you,” I said emotionally.
“I love you,” he said tenderly. “Goodnight.”
As I hung up, Devlin said, “You’ve never stopped loving him, have you?”
“No,” I admitted, coming to sit beside him. “There were times I wished I didn’t, but I never stopped, no.”
“That is how real love goes,” he said. “Do you really want to go to bed now?”
I made a face. “What I want is to avoid Theo. It’s stupid really. He’s not going to call me anyway, now he knows I know everything.”
“Not that I’m on his side,” Devlin said slowly. “But perhaps you don’t know everything.”
My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“You should be prepared for more to this story. I’ve known Theo through his actions for the better part of ten years, ever since he joined up with Danial. This behavior is unlike him.”
“I agree,” I retorted angrily. “But maybe you were as wrong about him as I was.”
“Perhaps. In any case, I agree: you should not answer if he calls. Don’t speak to him until you’re face to face.”
I’d been planning the same thing, but I didn’t like being told to do it by someone else. “Then let’s go to bed.”
The phone abruptly rang, shattering the moment. I glared over at it, bit my lip, and remained where I was. After four rings, the answering machine picked up.
“Sar, how’re you feeling?” Theo said hesitantly on the machine’s speakerphone. “Are you there?”
“I’m here, ass,” I said aloud, both angry and upset. “Where else would I be?”
“I talked to Danial,” Theo went on. “He said you were better, but nothing else.” There was a pause. “I just wanted to let you know I was okay. I’ll see you at the Gathering on Saturday night.”
“Good for you, Prick!” I shouted. “Don’t put yourself out on my account!”
“I love you, and I’m sorry we...I’m sorry that I acted...I just wanted—” Click.
“Theo!” I shouted, bolting to the phone. I quickly picked up the receiver, but there was only a dial tone. He’d been cut off.
“So much for you not wanting to talk to him,” Devlin said bitterly. “Why don’t you call him back, if you’re so desperate for him? I’ll leave.” He got up and headed for his leather clothes.
I went after him. “Wait, Dev. Look, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” he said scathingly, slipping into his T-shirt.
“For loving him though he treated me so badly,” I said grudgingly. “I want what you said to be true, for there to be a reason he did this. It hurts that he and I went through so much and it ends like this.”
“You can go through a lot for someone, and have them not appreciate it,” Devlin said pointedly. “Love isn’t fair, it’s cruel.” He slid his jacket on.
“Sometimes it is fair,” I said, taking his hand. “Come with me.”
I led him into the bedroom. Going to my dresser, I got his choker out of Terian’s box, and placed it in his palm. The emerald eyes of the bear winked in the light from the lamp.
“What do you mean to imply?” Devlin asked, raising his hand until the choker was between us.
“I’ll wear it for you,” I said, “until I leave on Friday. Will you promise me to take it off me when I have to go?”
He kissed me in a satisfied way and fastened it around my neck, the links sliding together with a soft clink. “By Friday, Sar, you’ll most likely be able to take it off yourself,” he whispered. “Anna could always remove hers as well, though we kept that a secret, between us.”
He kissed me ardently. “I’m going to check the fire, Love. Do your nighttime routine, and I’ll meet you in bed.”
I let out the dogs, put them in their beds, did my cat count, and turned off the lights. Devlin was waiting for me in my bed, under the covers, looking like a dream come to life.
I stopped in the doorway to look at him. “We’ll have to move downstairs, Dev. There’ll be sunlight through those windows in the morning.”
“We will, Sar,” he said, patting the bed beside him. “But I wanted you h
ere very much, years ago. I want to have you here in your bed, at least one time. Come here.”
This had to do with Theo, with sticking it to him by Dev and I having sex in the bed that was once ours. Sure, it was petty. However, right about now being petty felt good. I pushed my robe off my shoulders. It landed in a pool at my feet. I stood naked before him, wearing just the choker.
“You’re beautiful,” he said softly.
“So are you,” I replied huskily, and moved toward him. Soon I was beneath the covers, our bodies entwined, his lips on mine.
* * * *
The dogs were barking upstairs. Someone was pounding on the door.
That had to be Brian. Danial had believed me when I’d said I’d be up early. Ugh.
I looked over at Devlin. He was still asleep; admittedly exhausted from the two days he’d been awake before arriving at my door.
The doorbell rang, setting off a round of fresh barking from Ghost and Darkness.
Well, I had to get up anyway and feed everybody soon anyway. I got out of bed.
Devlin awoke when he felt me getting up. “What is it?” he rasped. He looked very tired, though amazingly, no less sexy.
“Brian or someone else is at the door,” I said. “I’ve got to feed everyone anyway.”
He sighed, got up out of bed, and shrugged his jeans on. “I’m going up there in case it’s not Brian. If it is him, we need to talk.” He went to his bike, pulling out an explosive bullets gun from the leather saddlebag. “Lead on.”
I was not surprised he was armed, though this was the first time I’d seen him with a gun, ever. He handled it like a tool he was comfortable using, to my relief. I nodded.
He followed me upstairs to the dim woodstove room. As I got my robe and belted it around me, Devlin took up a position behind the door. Looking through the peephole, I saw it was Brian.
“Come in,” I said, opening the door and giving him a smile.
Brian didn’t reply, staring at me in shock. Flushing, I remembered I was wearing Devlin’s choker, and that I had fresh fang marks on my neck from last night.
“Get in here, Brian,” Devlin growled. “Now.”
Brian came inside and I shut the door behind him.
“You said you wouldn’t hurt her,” Brian said neutrally.
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