by Sable Hunter
Fear clutched her heart as she made her way up the stairs. And then she found him. He was on the floor and he was out cold. She tried to lift him, but she had no substance. Kneeling beside him, she begged the gods to let him feel her, let her reach him, let her wake him up before the flames and the smoke snuffed his life out. “Eric! Eric, sweetheart, wake up.” Evangeline wrapped herself around him, willing him to open his eyes. Could he feel her? Would she be able to reach him in time?
* * * *
Eric heard her voice as if it were coming from a great distance away. He fought to rise up out of the darkness that engulfed him, and clawed his way back to the light. God, the light! The heat was so intense! What was she doing here? What was his precious angel doing in a hell like this! “Evangeline, sweetheart, what is going on?”
Through the smoke he could see her, just barely. She knelt by him and her face was a mask of fear. “Get up, Eric.” she urged him. “You have got to get out of here.” He could hear her voice, but it was if she were speaking deep within his mind, not in front of his face. He tried to keep his eyes open, but it would be so easy to drop off to sleep.
“Eric, please. Love, wake up. For me. Do it for me. Get up, now. Walk out into the fresh air and the morning light and come home to me. Please.”
At her sweet urging, Eric stood up. She did not leave him. He didn’t understand it. She couldn’t possibly be here without a mask or a suit or any protection whatsoever. But she was. She led him through the thick smoke and the scorching heat until he could see the door that led to freedom and fresh air. “Go on sweetheart. I’ll be waiting for you.” Eric staggered out the door and slumped to his knees in the humid night air.
A few minutes later, someone came to him. “Hell, man. We didn’t know you were still in there. Cammack said that everybody was out. He said he had seen you working the hose on the north side.” Buck knelt by his buddy, handing him a fresh container of oxygen.
“Cammack is the one that hit me, if I’m not mistaken.” Eric kept watching the front door of the burning building. He knew Evangeline hadn’t actually been here, but he couldn’t help the uneasy feeling she might still be in that inferno somewhere. Dating a witch had its advantages, but it also had its mind-boggling, brain-stretching leaps of faith. He processed the information he had to give the chief. He let the paramedics check him out. But all he could think about was getting back to his baby. Had she really been here or had he dreamed it? Had she saved his life? He wouldn’t put it past her. Evangeline could do anything.
* * * *
Cammack had done himself in this time. The evidence was just too great. The chief had found some accelerants in his vehicle and now that he had been taken into custody, the entire department could breathe easier. Relief washed over Eric. This time he had waited to be checked out by a doctor. Just a bump on the head. Finally, he could concentrate solely on Evangeline. He had even spoken to the chief about a transfer to the Arson Investigative unit. Uncovering Cammack’s identity had gone a long way in his argument with the chief. There might be a few classes he would have to take, but it would be worth it. She had looked a little disappointed, but she said she would see what she could do. Now, all he wanted to do was get back to Evangeline.
When he got home, he found her curled up in the bed; at first he thought she was asleep. As he knelt beside her, she rolled over to face him and then launched herself into his arms. “Oh God, baby, you’re safe!” Tears were streaming down her face.
“Why wouldn’t I be safe, with a guardian angel like you? You came to me. Didn‘t you?” She nodded her head in agreement. “You saved my life.” He picked her up and sat down with her on his lap. “It’s just as well, I belong to you.”
She rained kisses all over his face, her hands frantically checking his body for any injury or burns. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
He cupped her chin and lifted her lips to his. “I’m perfectly fine. Just a little knot on my hard head. And the arson is over; they’ve taken John Cammack into custody. Things should begin to quiet down now.”
She clung to him and trembled. “Thank the goddess for that.” He smiled at her little pagan prayer. “I love you so much. The thought of something happening to you is more than I can bear. What if I hadn’t been able to come to you?”
“But you did—you’re my guardian angel. My love, you’re all that I think about. I didn’t live until you walked into my life, I didn’t breathe until you made the very air around me come alive. You are the reason for my existence.” He held her so tenderly, and she let go and sobbed into his shoulder. “Why are you crying, baby? I’m right here, holding you. You don’t have a thing in the world to cry about.”
* * * *
“It scared the hell out of me, that’s what it did.” Elizabeth confessed with heartfelt emotion. Evangeline had met Elizabeth and Arabella for lunch. It had been a long time since they had gotten together and they had a lot of catching up to do. But it seemed as if the bad and scary news outweighed the nice and fuzzy news. “If the gunman had been one second faster, Tyler would be dead.” Elizabeth had nearly wept relating to them the shoot-out at a liquor store robbery.”
“It’s been a harrowing week for us, too.” Arabella whispered. “Jade has received death threats. I’m worried sick.”
“Sweetie, I’m so sorry.” Elizabeth placed her hand over her daughter’s.
“It’s all my fault, Mama. There are extremists within his own party that would rather see him dead than married to me.”
“Jade can handle this, Arabella. He loves you and the baby more than anything.” Evangeline comforted her cousin.
“I know. He’s actually thinking about getting out of politics, but I don’t want to be the reason he gives up a dream.” The very pregnant Arabella ran her hands nervously over her stomach as if reassuring the baby inside that all was well.
Evangeline took her turn. “Eric was knocked unconscious by the arsonist in a house fire night before last. If I hadn’t felt led to connect with him astrally, he would have died.”
“We sure are a happy trio.” Elizabeth tried to regain some humor. “Let’s look at it this way. Our better halves are all alive and well. Let’s be thankful for that. Now, for another topic. Evangeline, have you heard the piano music anymore?”
“No, not for a long time. In fact, I am beginning to think the whole Clark thing and the danger we thought I was in was a misreading of the situation. I don’t feel like I am being threatened by anything at all.”
“I can’t say I have picked up on anything, either.” Elizabeth admitted.
“I’m thinking about telling Nanette and Angelique that they can go home.”
“You’re going to tell Grandmother that she needs to go home?” Arabella asked with an exaggerated tone and a smile on her face.
“Yes,” Evangeline laughed. “I know they have their own lives, and besides their cramping Eric’s and my love life.”
Her admission, so unlike the normally private and prurient Evangeline made the other two burst out laughing. “Don’t tell me you’re having to curb your sexual escapades?” Elizabeth teased.
“No, but I have to try and remember to be quiet. And truthfully, Eric makes me want to scream.” Evangeline made herself blush.
Instead of reprimands or judgmental attitudes, all she got from her female relatives was sympathy. “Would you like me to talk to her?” Elizabeth asked. “After all, she is my mother, and I bet she would understand.”
“No,” Evangeline pushed the thick braid over her shoulder. “I’ll be brave and do it myself. I’m just waiting for the right time.”
By the time Evangeline had returned home, Nanette and the others were already packed. They had logical, and good, explanations as to why they needed to return to New Orleans. But Evangeline knew they understood what she had been feeling and she was grateful for their insight.
“I’ve put a ward around the house, baby.” Nanette began to list the precautions she had taken. “That m
eans no enemy can cross the line of red brick dust that Angelique and I spread around the property. I have called for your protection, but that doesn’t mean you should let down your guard. You are my sweetie, and I would do anything to keep you safe. So, I expect you and that handsome hunk of yours to do your part, also.”
“Don’t worry, Nanette. Eric will take good care of me.” Her grandmother pushed a stray strand of almost black hair from her forehead.
“You’ll let me know if you need anything?”
“You can count on it.”
Thus, the New Orleans contingency prepared to return home.
* * * *
“Aimee, I can do this. Watch.” Aimee sat amazed as the air around Zak shimmered and vibrated. Then a gasp escaped her lips as the full solid form of the young man just simply faded from sight.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Aimee breathed. “I’ve read about it, I’ve heard it whispered around a bonfire, but I’ve never seen it with my own eyes. Until now. Can you hear me, Zak?”
”Yes, ma’am.” Aimee had to laugh. The boy was a darling. Even invisible, he had impeccable Southern manners. She couldn’t wait for Evangeline to meet him. They would be perfect together.
“How fast can you come back?” She was curious.
“Let’s see.” Again, the air seemed to vibrate and weave, like the horizon on a scorching hot August day and then there he was, all six-foot-two muscle-bound inch of him. “Now, don’t you think I’m ready?”
“Yes, I think we can put our plan into motion. I wish I could be more help to you,” Aimee lamented. “My powers are so limited, I am practically useless.”
“I know where he keeps them,” Zak whispered.
“What did you say?” Aimee was afraid to hope.
“Black Eddie made a necklace to wear around his neck. Hanging from it is a vial and inside are all of our powers he has harnessed. Either he or Duvalier wear it—at all times. One day, we will jerk that vial from one of their necks and break it into smithereens. And when we do, we’ll hold all the cards,” Zak promised. “And that ‘one day’ will be here sooner than you think.”
Chapter Nine
Ahhhh! Heaven. Paradise. Eric’s stomach clenched, he stretched his legs, stiffening them. His toes literally curled in ecstasy. Wet. Warm. Oh, God! He wasn’t dreaming. What a way to wake up! Her mouth felt so good on him, her tongue caressed and soothed, an amazing drawing sensation pulled him upward to ecstasy as she sucked luxuriously on his cock. Eric loved the way Evangeline loved him. She was so generous in bed, and enjoyed going down on him as much as he enjoyed the incredible attention she lavished on him. “Lord, Evangeline. Oh, baby, that feels incredible.” He could barely raise his head. But when he did—what a sight! Evangeline knelt over him, pleasuring him, bringing him to a mind-blowing climax. “Oh, sweet love!” His hand soothed over her head. “Come up here.”
She settled into his arms, their bodies intimately nestled together. His chest rose and fell, still recovering from the explosive orgasm she had given him. Evangeline snuggled against him, rubbing her face against the soft hair on his chest. Seemingly unable to resist, she licked his nipple, causing him to jerk, his body still incredibly sensitive, every sense heightened. He shifted, turning his body to face hers. “Thank you, sweetheart. That was better than an alarm clock any day. I was dreaming about you, dreaming about making love to you, and then what I was imagining paled in comparison to reality.”
“I woke up first. The sheet had slipped off of us and I couldn’t resist. You were so aroused, standing straight up.”
Evangeline couldn’t be still, and Eric was enchanted. His poor baby was so turned on she couldn’t see straight. Unlike some women, his woman enjoyed loving him and bringing him to completion, and it set off a longing in her that begged to be sated. He felt the mattress give and watched as she pressed her thighs together, trying to find even a modicum amount of relief. He held his breath while she stared into his eyes, found his hand, and brought it to her sex. “I need you, Eric.”
Eric needed no more encouragement. Drawing her to him, he covered her mouth with his own, molding his hard lips to her softer ones. She reveled in his kiss, meeting each movement of his lips with reckless abandon. Her excitement transferred to him in multiples. He dragged his mouth from hers and nibbled his way down her body, divesting her of her night clothes along the way. “Oh, yes,” she breathed as he neared the core of her great need. Placing his hands under her hips he lifted her to his rapt attention. She gasped with delight as his tongue slid between her nether lips, sliding upward from the sensitive opening of her honeyed passage to the hooded pearl that quivered with anticipation. When his lips closed over her ultra-sensitive clit, Evangeline groaned with sexual hunger. Eric kissed her between her legs with the same voracious intensity he made love to her mouth. Lapping up the cream of her passion, he moaned his enjoyment. Taking her hot button between his lips, he pulled it into his mouth, sucking on it gently. At this new wonder, Evangeline pressed her eyes shut, blind with bliss.
Listening to her gasps of rapture, Eric’s heart swelled with love. This woman was the epitome of his dreams and the object of his greatest desire. He kissed her inner thighs, treasuring the little movements that still echoed the pleasure he had so happily given her. One last lingering kiss to the glistening pink treasure that brought him so much joy, then he glanced up, and realized she was looking at him intently. And even though he had just transported her outside of herself, it was obvious she wanted more.
“Are you hard?” she asked him softly. He was, but those three words stiffened him even further.
“As steel.”
Her smile issued an invitation that made his heart leap. He lay down and pulled her on top of him, arranging her so that her wet softness was pillowed against his burgeoning erection. Leaning over him, she clasped his face in both of her hands. Her breasts hung down and his hands were immediately drawn to cup them. “Before you come into me, I want to tell you something.” He kissed her palms, one and then the other, waiting to hear what she had to say. He took in her face, her full lips, reddened by his kisses. He watched her toy with that luscious bottom lip with her small white teeth. And then she said words that made him gasp. “Eric, my angel, loving you has brought me profound joy. I bless the day I found you.”
Lifting her, he surged upward, filling her completely. The lightning strike of complete rightness took their breath away. But he still managed to answer her declaration of devotion. “Evangeline, you are my world. I can’t imagine a life without you.” With that, he wove his fingers through hers and steadied her as she rode him to a mutual climax that detonated in a fanfare of heat and light that rivaled the brilliance of the stars.
* * * *
Eric was on a mission. He had decided to make up for all of his inattention and thoughtlessness by finding the perfect gift for his lady. He headed to Barton Creek Mall, determined to find a piece of jewelry that would reveal to her exactly how much she meant to him. He thought he would check Kruger’s first, Jessica had always preferred jewelry from there. Of course, Jessica judged everything by how much it cost. Despite the bad memories, he thought the store would surely have a gift worthy of his beloved.
When he got out of the car, he heard it—a plaintive, weak meow he couldn’t ignore. Stepping to the far side of his vehicle he saw a tiny yellow kitten, so starved it was barely able to walk. He started to ignore it, but then he pictured what Evangeline would do. Forgetting his mission, he bent and picked up the almost weightless waif. “You’re not exactly what I had in mind, buddy, but I bet you bring a smile to a certain young lady’s face. Cuddling his small burden, he started back to Hyde Park, only making one brief detour to stock up on cat supplies. He knew that Evangeline’s two large black cats were safe in the house on Constance Street in New Orleans awaiting the return of Nanette and Angelique, a neighbor tended to them twice a day. They were getting up in years and were too used to their environment to be happy in Evangeline’s Austi
n home. So, there would be no rival for this little fellow’s affection, except for Eric, of course.
Arriving back at Evangeline’s house, Eric counted his blessings. If you looked at a calendar, not much time had passed since he first walked into that museum and saw the sculptures of himself created by the woman who now owned his heart. But time was relevant; they had lived and loved more in the last month than some people did in a lifetime. Gathering up the small kitten, he headed into the house to look for the intended recipient of his impromptu gift.
Opening the door, he called her. “Evangeline! Sweetheart! I’m home!” Her excited footsteps tripping down the stairs caused him to catch his breath.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I missed you so.” She catapulted through the living room door, arms outstretched and then what he had in his hands brought her up short. “Eric,” she whispered, “what have you got?”
“I brought someone home for dinner. Do you think you could set an extra plate?”
He watched her eyes light up and her expression soften and her hands reached out to take his little offering.
She cuddled the tiny kitten close. “Let’s get him something to eat.” Eric followed her to the kitchen and watched as she made the little cat at home. “What shall we call him?”
Eric laughed. “Tiger, obviously, but how do you know it’s a him?”
“I looked. His equipment is very small, but it’s there.”
“His equipment? Are you an equipment inspector?”
“I am indeed. And you have the most fabulous equipment I could ever hope to inspect.” She came and wrapped her arms around his neck, molding herself to him. “Thank you, Eric. Thank you for the wonderful gift. You’re so good to me.”
Guilt settled in his mid-section. “As a boyfriend, I’m pretty much of a dud. I’ve never given you anything. No candy, no flowers, no jewelry—actually, I went to Barton Creek mall to buy you a piece of jewelry and look what I came back with.”
