Eternal Hope (The Hope Series)

by Rose, Frankie

  Tensing, he seemed to be readying for something. “Do you think…do you think you might end up loving me?” he breathed out, rushing the words together.

  Everything tightened in Farley. She couldn’t help but react to his words; they were so utterly unexpected that she found herself gripping tightly onto his hand. He gripped her back, waiting for an answer. She blinked, hoping against hope that the panic in her mind would quit screaming so she could think. “Turn around,” she said.

  He slowly obeyed, rolling around onto his back. He went back to staring up at the ceiling.

  “Look at me.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, breathing shakily. He turned so that he lay straight on his side and then opened his eyes again. A look of complete misery resided there, shining out of the green depths. Farley drew his hand up to her mouth and kissed the bent ridges of his bruised knuckles, staring him in the eye. “I’m already in love with you. I love you more than anything in this world. I’d die if I didn’t have you. I almost did back in the Tower, when I thought Tobin was going to kill you. I can’t tell you how much you mean to me, Daniel, because I don’t have the words. I wish I did, but-”

  The look in his eyes made her break off, uncertain of what she was seeing. It looked like he was burning on the inside. He reached up with his hand until it was an inch away from her face and then he closed his eyes, clenching down on his jaw, fighting something. The light that came out of him startled her. It arced from his fingertips to prick so gently on her skin that it felt like hot pulses burning through her. It filled her with a deep heat, strobing over her face and down her cheeks, tracing lightly over her neck. She knew it without having it ask; this was the most gentle he could be, the most honest.

  He looked at her, stunned for a moment, before he swallowed and blinked. “Sorry, I…” he made to draw his hand away but she caught hold of his wrist.

  “Don’t you dare.”

  The ghost of a pleased smile hovered at the corners of his lips. “Farley, I…” He closed his eyes. “I…”

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to-”

  He leaned forward, burying her words in his kiss. When his lips touched hers, the light crackled between their faces, connecting them with fine filaments of pale blue energy that vibrated deep down into her skin, making her head swim. She tried to pull back, desperate for a breath, but he drew her in deeper, locking her in his embrace.

  His hands moved to her neck, gently shocking her there, too. The feeling of it seared through her body, making her suck in a sharp breath. He groaned against her mouth and then pulled back, watching her react to his touch. The pain was so sweet.

  “I love you, too,” he whispered, barely more than a breath. This time he didn’t look away; he held her gaze, the light still flowing from him into her, until it felt like she couldn’t take it any more. She sighed heavily, pulling him on top of her, suddenly realizing that a dictionary of words wasn’t really necessary at all. Just those four words. Those four words and his light.

  By the time Daniel drew back again, Farley was silently grateful. Because if he’d let it go any further, if he’d given her any more of himself, she wouldn’t have been able to stop. She would have drowned in the smell and the touch and the feel of him, and she would have been glad of it as she did.

  Twenty One

  Kathy’s

  Only bringing four pairs of underwear had been a big, big mistake. The Cabin had washing facilities but it was a pain in the ass having to do a load every three days. Tess suggested she just go without, but after a heated debate about the pros and cons of going commando, Farley declared she wasn’t a tramp and made up her mind. A trip back into town was unavoidable, which was perfectly fine, except Daniel was going to want to come with her.

  She found him talking to Grayson, who was keeping Cassie company as she ‘rested up’ on the sofa in the formal lounge, covered in blankets. Everyone kept calling her injury a GSW, which made it sound way more horrific than it really was. In truth, the Immundus’ bullet had barely grazed her shoulder. Her nose had been broken somehow, though, which had given her two black eyes, and her face was all puffy. In short, she looked like hell.

  Interestingly, there was nothing gratifying about the fact that Cassie was in a heck of a lot of pain, or that her perfect image had been ruined by the ugly purple rings around her eyes. Farley felt more than a little sorry for her, but she still couldn’t do it. Sitting down and actually talking to the girl felt like saying it was okay that she was in love with her boyfriend. And that was definitely not okay.

  What Farley did manage to do was give her a half-hearted smile as she approached the three of them, which felt rather like she was being the bigger person. Daniel’s face lit up when he saw her. He gave her a slow smile- a secret smile.

  “Morning,” he said quietly.

  “Hi.” She eyed the spot next to him on the sofa, but it was less than a foot and a half away from Grayson, and though she liked him, she didn’t really feel like sitting in his lap. Daniel caught her quick appraisal of the seating arrangements and grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her down onto his lap instead.

  This possessiveness was a new development. Farley was liking it already. “What are you up to?” she laughed.

  He pressed his lips together into a line and frowned at Grayson. “We were just talking about Beatty. We need to find a way to get him out of the Quarters. We’re trying to figure out how to accomplish that without actually having to go there.”

  Farley’s relatively good mood fizzled out like a sparkler dunked in water. “And how’s that going?”

  “Not so great,” Cassie mumbled. She stared up at the ceiling, her usually lush curls all frizzy and wild.

  Daniel squeezed Farley’s hand, a reaction to Cassie directly answering a question she’d asked. He was clearly pleased they’d inadvertently fallen into conversation with one another. Farley shifted uncomfortably. “Awesome,” she muttered, half referring to the position she was in, and half over the fact that they were making no headway. “I don’t suppose anyone has heard anything about Cliff and Brynn?”

  Grayson twitched at their names; Farley hadn’t considered that maybe any of these guys knew them, but by the look on Grayson’s face, apparently they did.

  “No,” he sighed. “We haven’t heard anything. I think, logically, it’s safe to assume they’re dead. They would have contacted us before now if they’d made it out.”

  “Why’s everyone so willing to just give up on them? We hadn’t heard from Beatty until the other day. The others could still be out there. Maybe they just don’t know we’re in Montana.”

  Grayson sighed and pulled at a thread on his button down shirt. “I’m sure Cliff would, at least. He happens to be my older brother, so he knows where I live. He also knows Danny lives here, too, and this is where he’d come.”

  Farley felt the crimson stain marking her cheeks. Cliff is Grayson’s brother? Why did no one ever mention the important stuff around here? That little snippet of information might have been useful; she certainly wouldn’t have just brought him up out of the blue if there was any possibility he was dead. “Sorry, Gray. I didn’t know.”

  “That’s alright. Cliff’s a bit of a hard case. We weren’t close. It’d still be nice to know what happened to him, though.”

  Farley saw his hand twitch where it rested on his thigh. A hundred bucks said he was resisting the urge to pull out his dental floss. A change of subject was desperately required. Farley leaned back against Daniel’s chest, hurriedly trying to think of something to fill the awkward silence. She tipped her head back and he nuzzled his face into her hair, breathing her in.

  “Hmm. We really need to get you some girly shampoo,” he remarked. “It’s weird that my girlfriend smells like a guy.”

  Farley pulled a face at him. Of course. She’d been planning on a trip into Gun Creek before the worry over Cliff and Brynn had distracted her. She jabbed an extended finger into Daniel’s ribs. “Actually, that
’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I was wondering if Daniel detail could be a mobile operation this morning. I kinda need to pick up a few things.”

  A wary look clouded over his face. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Farley. I mean, we know for a fact that Simeon’s actively searching for you. There’s every chance his men could be out there.”

  Farley shifted, trying to distribute her weight a little more evenly so that her coccyx wasn’t digging into him. She caught Cassie watching her. There was nothing spiteful on her face- maybe just a little unguarded curiosity. Farley pulled her lips into a tight line that could be viewed as a smile depending on whether you were inclined to take it that way or not. Daniel looked so grateful she thought he might start clapping.

  “I guess you’re right,” she told him. “But you’d be there, and I’d literally only be half an hour. We’d be back before lunch.”

  He ran his finger from her elbow to her wrist and back again slowly, pulling a perplexed face. “I was only joking about the shampoo, y’know. It smells fine.”

  “No, it’s not just that. There are other things I need, too.” Tampons, toothpaste that doesn’t taste like aniseed, concealer, a hairbrush would probably be nice… Oh and, of course, underwear.

  “Oh, for crying out loud, Daniel. She needs girl things. Be a gentleman and take her into town,” Cassie said, her voice a little nasal, like she was clogged up with a cold. She shot Farley a conflicted look that made her feel a quarter of a degree warmer towards her, before slumping back onto the nest of pillows arranged around her head. Apparently sticking up for the girlfriend of your one true love was exhausting.

  “Girl things, huh? I’m not sure I’m mentally prepared for that trip,” Daniel said.

  “I’m not sure you are, either.”

  He gave Farley a tortured look. He was obviously running through a number of awkward scenarios in his head and not enjoying the prospect of any of them. Kissing the side of his head, she said, “You can wait outside. Cover the exits and all that.”

  He gave a brief nod before lifting her up off his legs in one movement. “Alright. Better get it over with.”

  Farley laughed. “You’re such a guy.” She paused for a second as he tried to drag her away. Already regretting what she was about to do, she turned. Cassie peered up at her from her pillows. Here went nothing: Being Nice To Cassie, Phase One. “You need anything?”

  The girl looked startled. She blinked at Farley a couple of times before saying, “I guess I could use some nail polish remover.”

  Nail polish remover? Cassie’s hands bore scruffy nails, which were bitten back to the quick. It was the first time Farley had let her eyes linger for more than a split second on the girl, although how she’d managed to miss the rose tattoos on the backs of her hands was a mystery. They were pretty big, with bright red blooms. No nail polish in sight, however. Cassie gave her a weak smile. “For my toes.”

  “And I need some more dental floss,” Grayson said distractedly, leafing through the pages of a magazine that had a microchip on the front cover.

  “You can’t have any more. You’ll develop OCD,” Farley told him.

  “I already have OCD,” he replied mildly. “I’ve curbed my compulsions back to their most basic components. I am the master of my urges for the most part. There are only a few things I can’t tolerate not doing.” He looked up at her over the top of the magazine. “Flossing is one of them.”

  *******

  “Y’know, you’d probably feel better about letting me go in here alone if I knew how to defend myself properly,” Farley said, pushing the door open to Kathy’s. It still screamed like it was in agony. The windows, if anything, were dirtier than before.

  “Nice try,” he said. He was coming in with her despite agreeing to stay outside back in the cabin. After all, Simeon’s men could have pre-empted her desperate need for clean underwear and be waiting, camouflaged in amongst the scanty bras and panties on the discount rail. Farley screwed up her face. “You have to wait here.” She pointed to a spot on the floor next to the counter- an area well away from anything that could be considered see-through or risqué. He gave her a grateful look, which quickly slid from his face when Kathy herself made an appearance. She made a beeline straight for him, apparently blind to the fact that Farley was even there. Her golden rings glimmered as she waggled her fingers at him, cooing words that sounded suspiciously like handsome and enchanting. His body locked up, and he shoved his hands deep into his jeans pockets, looking horrified. Farley abandoned him, biting back a wicked snicker.

  It took all of five seconds to select eight pairs of underwear and a couple of bras- probably not what Tess would have picked out, but still pretty sexy all the same. Black, black and more black. Maybe she was a tramp, after all. Daniel hovered near the door while she paid, avoiding eye-contact with Kathy as she wittered on about his stunning eyes, and how if only she was twenty years younger. He’d never looked so uncomfortable. Served him right. When they were outside, Farley shoved him with her elbow. “I think you have an admirer.”

  His face went grey. “If it came down to a fight to the death with the oldest, most powerful Reaver, and being locked for five minutes alone in a dark room with that woman, I’d take the Reaver.”

  “Oooh, burn.”

  “She was terrifying.”

  “Like I said. You could have stayed outside. You could let Kayden teach me to defend myself, and then I would be able to handle-”

  “Kayden’s not teaching you anything,” he broke in. “If anyone’s teaching you, it’s going to be me.”

  Bingo. Being underhanded and manipulative was a horrible way to get what you wanted, but when it came down to it she needed to learn to fight. If that meant playing on Daniel’s feelings about Kayden, then so be it.

  They started walking towards the pharmacy, where the same horse she and Tess had seen the other day was hitched up to the rail. It looked just as ticked off as the other day, too. Daniel gave it a queer look as they passed. The day was turning out to be muggy and humid, which was unusual given they were in the mountains and the overbearing heat had mostly been the dry, el scorchio kind. It was this type of weather that made Daniel’s hair curl into dark whorls at the base of his neck. Farley reached up and stroked one, allowing herself the pleasure of twisting it gently around her fingertip. He slowed so that their steps fell into time. Suddenly, the reality of their morning hit her: no one else around, no hiding, no creepy guys in trench coats chasing them in black SUVs. It was just the two of them.

  “Hey,” she whispered. He turned and gave her that smile again, the secretive smile. The light played over his face, highlighting the flecks of light blue and amber in his eyes that were usually consumed by the green. “Have you realized that we’re normal?”

  She held the moment in her mind, the way he looked at her like he loved her and they were meant to be together. He pulled his hand out of his pocket and slipped it up the back of her shirt so that it rested against the base of her spine.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look.” She stopped dead. He had to take a step back so that he was at her side again. She pointed at the reflection in Mick’s Guns window. There was Daniel in his grey t-shirt that was just a little too big for him, and his black jeans and Converse, and there was her in the faded red summer dress her mom had bought her two summers ago. They were carbon copies of themselves, side by side. Normal.

  Daniel reached out, smiling, to touch his fingertips to Farley’s face in the window. She poked her tongue out at him then, and laughed, suddenly filled with nervous energy. In a flash she ripped off up the street toward the pharmacy, running as fast as she could go. The paper bag from Kathy’s with its sharp corners banged into her leg on every other step, bouncing high. Daniel was behind her before she’d made it five feet, but it didn’t matter. It felt blissful to be nothing more than those ordinary, every day reflections.

  Twenty Two

  Not Right

/>   The picture didn’t really capture her, but painting from memory wasn’t one of Kayden’s strong points. It wasn’t a bad job, though. He’d still got her face right, the way her eyes went flat like calm water when she was thinking hard, and the way she pulled on her lower lip with her teeth when she was watching someone talk. That was the Farley he’d painted- her sitting on the leather sofa in the library, bathed in light, concentrating on someone out of frame. She had one leg pulled up to her chest with her arm wrapped around it, the way she did when there wasn’t anything else to hold onto. He hadn’t meant to paint her, but this image was the only thing that came to him when he approached the canvas. He’d tried coming at it from a different angle, literally, from the left and then from the right; he’d held his brush as many different ways as he knew how. He’d even dropped the brush and found a spatula at one point, but it had been no good. This was what he had been supposed to paint.

  He rolled the unstretched canvas up into a cylinder and threaded an elastic band around it, then left it on her bed. As he came out of Farley’s room, he nearly tripped over Tess. She sat on the floor outside the room she shared with Oliver, her knees folded upwards like the peaks of mountains, staring off into the distance.

  “Hey, Tess,” he said. She looked up at him like she was expecting someone else, and stiffened.

  “Hey,” she whispered.

  “You okay?”

  She shook her head. When the light hit her face, Kayden made out a dark bruise flowering on her right cheekbone. She quickly dipped her head, as though trying to hide it.