What the Heart Takes

by Kelli McCracken

  “I didn’t realize you were thinking about staying now that Layne is better.” The news took Heaven by surprise, but she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the idea. “I’d like to get to know the woman who gave birth to the man destined to save me.”

  “I’d like to get to know you too, Heaven. I can already see why my son is so crazy about you.”

  Another wave of heat spread through Heaven’s cheeks. She felt Hope’s questioning eyes, felt the way her energy surged with disbelief and irritation. Her sister’s questions and opinions would have to wait for another time. Right now, she needed to know why Layla said what she did.

  “What makes you think he’s crazy about me?”

  Lifting a brow, Layla’s chest jiggled as she stifled a laugh. “Because you’re all he’s talked about since the day he met you.”

  The news was shocking, to say the least. In reality, it nearly brought her to her knees, but she wouldn’t say or do anything about it. The less she reacted, the fewer questions she’d get from her sister when they were alone.

  “Are you and Dane staying here with the rest of us?” she asked, wishing her sister would close her mouth and quit staring so hard.

  Layla didn’t seem to notice the tension between them. “Your parents were gracious enough to extend the invitation. I don’t know if I feel right accepting it, though. They’ve already taken in quite a few people. If there isn’t room, we can stay at a hotel.”

  “There’s plenty of room,” Heaven assured, knowing good and well her mother would say the same. She nodded toward her old room, stealing a peek at her Keeper as she did. “If Layne’s doing better, there’s no reason for him to stay in the house. He can come back to the cottage. You and Dane could stay in here.”

  “I’ll leave that for you and him to work out,” Layla answered, patting her shoulder before she turned to leave. “I need a nap. I still haven’t adjusted to the time difference.”

  Layla moved toward the staircase, making her way down the steps in haste. Heaven refocused on her mother, noting the creases lining her forehead. “What’s wrong, Mom?”

  “Nothing, sweetheart. I’m just checking your energy. You have a lot on you right now, which is understandable, but it makes your aura look like a rainbow.”

  Hope grunted beside her, shaking her head as she stared into the bedroom. “If having a Keeper is this much trouble, I’m not sure I want to find mine.”

  “Not all bonds are as intense as Heaven and Layne’s. The more powerful she is, the stronger he has to be. That calls for their bond to be just as strong. It’s your sister’s best chance of survival.”

  “I think she’s pretty safe,” Hope grumbled, but their mother wrapped her arms around her shoulder, pulling her toward the staircase.

  “Come along, Hope. Heaven wants to check on her Keeper, and you and I need to talk about yours.”

  More muffled complaining came from Hope’s direction, but Heaven tuned her out. There was a tug on her soul, a tug full of delicious warmth she was more than happy to sense again.

  Hesitant steps brought her to the doorway, where she came to a stop. Layne remained by the foot of the bed, but he’d turned his back to the door. He fidgeted with his shirt, twisting at the buttons on the cuffs like he was about to fasten them. A few seconds later, he tugged at the collar, lifting it, folding it down, stretching it away from his neck. The heat of his energy picked up when she continued into the room and stopped just behind him.

  “Are you okay?”

  His body went rigid. His hands stilled around the top of his flannel like he’d frozen in place, but the fire inside him said otherwise. He turned his head slowly, locking eyes with her the second he peered over his shoulder.

  “Yeah,” he said, tugging on his collar again. “I’m fine. Mom said I’m good to go. Your mom confirmed it.”

  “I’ve already spoken with them. They gave me an update, but I wasn’t inquiring about your health. I think you know that.”

  He feigned a confused expression and looked away. “Um…okay. So what exactly are we talking about?”

  She sensed his resistance. There was a lot more on his mind and he didn’t want to share those thoughts with her. If the last few days hadn’t convinced her of that, today would have. He could barely make eye contact. Each time she saw him, it grew worse.

  They had little time together since he’d awakened. Dylan had insisted on staying with her as she monitored him through the first night. Layne spent a few hours away from her on the second day, which proved she didn’t have to stay by his side anymore. There was no excuse to stay another night, no reason to argue with her parents when they demanded she spend the evening at the cottage catching up on sleep.

  Now they were here on the third day, finally alone, and Layne still had nothing to say.

  What was he trying to hide?

  “What’s going on, Layne? Since the moment you woke up, I’ve sensed a change in your energy.”

  He shrugged. “Your mom said my aura is good, so I don’t know what you’re sensing. Maybe you need some rest, Heaven.”

  Adjusting his shirt once more, he turned around, taking quick steps past her. She sensed his need for space, but there was no way she was leaving their conversation like this. She reached, last minute, hooking her arm with his.

  As he came to a sudden stop, he twisted back to glare at her. “What are you doing?”

  “When are you going to learn that I can tell when you’re lying to me?”

  “I’m. Not. Lying.” He gritted each word through clenched teeth. “I’m fine.”

  The anger she sensed had her pulling her hand away. She folded it with her other hand and stepped back, fighting to keep her lips from trembling. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

  She’d managed to get the words out without her voice cracking, but the effect of his words had her turning toward the window, desperate to hide the well of tears in her eyes.

  Layne’s energy settled the moment she reached the windowsill. Remorse extinguished the anger that burned out of control. The tugging returned.

  Warmth radiated across her back as if someone had wrapped a blanket around her. She knew it was him, knew that he’d moved closer to her, so close his breath rippled through her hair. Her eyes began to sting more than they had been. She swiped at them, hoping to remove the moisture before he spun her around. And he would at any—

  Scorching fingers heated her arm. It didn’t matter that she tried to resist, her body still twirled in a half circle until she came face-to-face with Layne. His eyes held her in place. They shifted lower a moment later, to a tear she’d somehow missed. She could feel its wet warmth trailing down her skin as he continued staring at it. He swiped his thumb across her cheek before it slid any further.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I shouldn’t have acted like that. I’m frustrated with myself, not you. Mom said I wouldn’t be completely healed for a few more days. We’ve already lost so much time and I’m no closer to controlling my abilities. I have to protect you.”

  “Is that it, or is there more, because I feel like there’s—”

  “Heaven…”

  He touched his fingers to his temples and pressed hard, rubbing them in circles. His hands covered her view of his face, but she sensed the annoyance within him. If he would just be honest and tell her the truth, she would leave him alone. Until she knew what the truth was, she couldn’t.

  A moment later, he dropped his hands away from his face, cupping them around hers. He thumbed over her cheeks then pulled her close. “Will you please stop this?” His eyes pleaded with her as much as his voice. “Go to the cottage. Relax, take a bath, a nap, whatever you have to do to unwind, but go do something.”

  “Not until you tell me what’s wrong. After everything we’ve been through, you’re still going to keep me at a distance?”

  Taking a step back, he snapped his eyes shut. His energy quaked around her as his brows creased. “It’s nothing more than a stupid dream.”


  “A dream?” she asked, unsure that she heard correctly. “What kind of dream?”

  She swore she saw his cheeks flush crimson before he looked down. He fiddled with his sleeves again, increasing the tension between them. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to discuss it with you.”

  “Why?” The longer he took to respond, the more she realized that she already knew the answer. “Is it because it involved me, this room, and that bed?”

  His mouth slackened as he followed the length of her arm. Once he saw what she was pointing to, his eyes widened. She’d hit a nerve. Good. Maybe he’d be honest with her now.

  He parted his lips to respond, working them together before any words spilled out. “I, uh…I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

  Didn’t he? Everything about his energy said he did. Yet he played ignorant to the fact. Maybe it was for her sake, maybe his. She didn’t know which, but she did know that denying it wouldn’t help anything. Then again, maybe he wasn’t denying it. Maybe she was losing her mind.

  “There you are.”

  Her father’s voice filled the air just as Layne stepped away from her. A twinge of guilt coursed through him, along with fear. He was afraid her father had noticed how close they were standing, but she sensed how her father’s emotions were tied up in other thoughts.

  “Hey. Sorry to keep you waiting,” Layne said, strolling over to her dad and his own father as he walked into the room a few seconds later. “My mom and Anna lifted my activity level restriction. I was just about to come looking for you guys.”

  “What’s going on?” Heaven asked, searching each face that looked in her direction. All had one thing in common. Guilt. They were keeping something from her. “Why would your mom or my mom lift your restriction?”

  Layne’s mouth parted. He struggled to come up with an answer, but it was her father that cleared his throat and approached her. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, darling.”

  “Well, I am worried. Layla said it would be a few more days before he’s completely healed. He needs to take it easy and rest.”

  Her father placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. “Heaven, I understand your concern, but if you want you and your little one to be safe, you’ll let Layne do what he has to do to improve your chances. That’s what we’re doing today. We’re improving your chances.”

  She wanted to argue more, but her father shook his head. His eyes pierced her with the firm, fatherly look she knew all too well. It was his serious look. The old, what-I-say-is-final look.

  There was nothing else to do but nod at him. He gave her shoulder another squeeze and moved for the door. Dane followed behind him, as did Layne. The mere sight of him walking away from her made her chest constrict. She lowered her eyes, unable to watch him disappear. Her lips pressed tighter, her only defense in keeping her emotions from spilling over, until they were gone. Then she could cry, could cry over the fact that his callous attitude broke her heart.

  Another ripple of energy flared around her, tugging at her soul. She gazed up, half expecting to see an empty room, but Layne hesitated in the doorway. His eyes locked on hers. He looked as though he wanted to tell her something. Even his energy said the same, but he shook his head and walked out the door instead.

  Heavy sobs broke Heaven’s silence a second later.

  CHAPTER 25

  The crisp, cool air flooded Layne’s lungs as he drew in a breath. He held it in his chest, noting the way it clashed with the heat smoldering inside of him. That same heat released into a cloud of steam when he finally exhaled. It gathered near his nose and mouth, making it difficult to concentrate on the unlit torch near the wood line.

  “Clear your thoughts.”

  He ignored Spencer’s voice. Didn’t he realize he was concentrating as best as he could? While he appreciated having another Keeper around, he knew he wasn’t as skilled as Spencer. Delia’s Keeper had years to perfect his abilities. He couldn’t expect Layne to snap his fingers and have his under control, not after discovering his abilities just six months ago.

  The six months that followed hadn’t been easy either. He’d spent that time trying to keep his distance from Heaven, the rest, tiptoeing around Dylan every time they were in the same room. It made focusing on his abilities a challenge. Regardless of how much time he spent outside trying to learn about his powers, the stress of it all consumed him.

  “You’re not tapping into your source,” Spencer grumbled from his seat at the picnic table. “Do you know what your source is?”

  “Yes,” Layne huffed. The thought of Spencer asking him to name that source sent a surge of fire coursing through Layne. He refused to share that information with him or anyone else standing in the backyard.

  “If you know what it is, focus on it. Draw power from it and light the torch.”

  It was easier said than done when the source of his power was also the source of his frustration.

  His thoughts shifted to Heaven. He couldn’t deny the amount of hurt he’d sensed in their connection when he’d all but growled at her earlier. That same pain increased when he left her standing in the room.

  Walking out the door had been anything but easy. Knowing she was on the verge of crying ripped him apart. Didn’t she understand that he had to go, that he was doing this for her, for the innocent life she carried inside her?

  He had to leave. Staying inside the room did nothing for either of them but increase the ache in his soul, the ache that she inspired. He’d done everything he could to make sure they weren’t alone together. They couldn’t be. Not after the…

  No. He refused to think about this, about her. She had no idea about the things that went through his thoughts while he was unconscious, but the images were forever burned in his mind.

  The whole ordeal felt like a dream. The dark abyss he’d awakened in was blinding and cold. It brought about a certain level of fear like he’d never known, his only concern, never seeing Heaven again. Death itself didn’t matter. He only had one purpose in life—saving her. If death required payment, he’d gladly pay the debt.

  Yet he had sensed her presence. Her voice had washed over him like she’d been standing beside him the entire time, just out of sight. The darkness faded. Warmth and light had surrounded him, giving him hope. Within that hope, he found determination to hold on, to fight through the fear entrapping him and make his way back.

  It was hard to believe what seemed like hours turned out to be weeks. Knowing that she’d sat by his side for two straight weeks, waiting, left him in a wake of confusion. It made him want the images in his mind to be real.

  “You’re on the right track,” Spencer announced, cutting into his thoughts. “It’s getting warmer out here.”

  Layne agreed. The temperature had shifted. The air was moister—warmer—than when they first came outside. Even with the revelation, he couldn’t stop thinking about Heaven.

  Images cascaded through his mind, images he’d created within the dream. It felt strange to call it that. It all seemed so real. How he found himself in bed, his surroundings of little importance after he discovered Heaven lying next to him. Seeing her there, her eyes closed, breath steady, made his heart race. The moment she spoke to him, his fire stoked back to life.

  As the fire consumed him, so had the tug of her energy. It overpowered him, making it impossible to resist wanting her, or kissing her, or touching her. God, had he touched her, every part of her he’d wanted to touch from the first day he’d met her.

  The wait had been worth it, to see her face contort in pleasure, pleasure he’d given her, pleasure she willingly accepted from him. Feeling her body rock above his, hearing his name on her lips as she came for him…it made it difficult not to reach his own release.

  Even now, his body reacted to the thoughts. The fire within blazed around him, coursing through his veins. It increased each second he stared at the torch in the distance, each second that Heaven’s quivering body flitted through his mind.


  His breath grew labored. He swallowed hard, but the dryness in his throat constricted it. He couldn’t think, could only resist the urge to run into the house and find Heaven. Because if he did, he’d not only devour her lips with his, he’d make sure the dream became a reality.

  When the urge grew out of control, something within him snapped. Crackling split the air, erasing the silence that had formed amongst the bystanders. Their sudden gasps were a compliment in themselves, but Layne didn’t need flattery. He needed his Seeker. The blazing torch, along with the surrounding trees, said as much.

  * * *

  Laughter echoed through the den from multiple directions, but Layne didn’t make a sound. He sat on the cushioned area by the bay window, turning his eyes toward the driveway as well as the grounds. Raphe was still out there somewhere, looking for them. There was no way he couldn’t be. If Nicholas had managed to find them, Raphe had found the men he’d set on fire.

  The blurred memory of their attack struggled to form in his mind. Another one replaced it, the one of Nicholas and his father showing him the newspaper with Heaven and Dylan’s retreating forms. Heaven had blocked the camera’s view of him, but the article mentioned his name, regardless. Making the front page of a national paper, as well as Internet news sites, meant that Nate had seen it. He never missed any articles involving them. It’s one of the reasons why they’d left The States after Dylan and Heaven’s wedding.

  A certain level of eeriness lay in the thought that Nate knew they were in the area, yet made no attempts to call or contact his son. It wasn’t like him to leave Dylan alone. He hadn’t in the past, because this wasn’t the first time Dylan had tried avoiding him.

  The thoughts faded from Layne’s mind. His mother’s voice drew his attention back to their conversation, but he kept his eyes locked on the window. He listened as she explained how she and his father knew Heaven and Dylan’s parents from college. They’d all been a part of a secret fraternity made up of gifted people.