Maybe if she focused on just one light....
Jackie looked at the landscape in her mind and chose a particularly bright light. It was a blue so pale it was nearly white, with flickering bolts of yellow streaking through it like lightning.
She willed herself closer and felt a moment of vertigo as she zoomed in on the pulsing dot.
Everything was white here. The glow of the light seemed to bounce off a great, glittering expanse that stretched out endlessly.
Snow. It was snowing here, wherever she was.
Was this happening now? If so, maybe she could use some kind of weather map to help figure out the location.
Iain was inside her thoughts as he usually was. He heard her idea and was already acting on it. He shifted slightly beside her to pull his phone from his pocket.
Even that small movement made her lurch back into herself, away from the light.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to break your concentration.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just try again.”
He slid away from her so that their bodies no longer touched. She didn’t like the distance between them, but realized he’d done it so that he didn’t distract her again.
Jackie refocused herself and went back to that white, snowy place she’d seen before.
The blue-white light was still there, glowing like a tiny sun.
She hadn’t lost it. The woman was still there. Not only could she see the light, but she could feel a quivering sense of power radiating out from it.
The frequency was strange—so very different from her own—but still identifiable as a deep source of magic.
This woman was definitely a Theronai. Jackie didn’t need to see her ring-shaped birthmark to know that.
She looked around in an effort to figure out where she was. All she could see was snow. It fell through the air, covered the ground, clung to the trees and bushes and blanketed the rooftop.
A roof. There was a roof here, but she hadn’t seen it because she’d been directly overhead. It had blended perfectly with the wintery surroundings.
With an effort of will, Jackie moved lower, descending toward the ground. The light grew brighter as she did, blocking most of her field of vision.
How was she ever going to see these women if she couldn’t see past them?
“I need mental sunglasses,” she muttered. “Maybe a welder’s helmet.”
“You can do this,” Iain said, his voice calm and confident. “I know you can.”
She wasn’t sure, but what choice did she have? Lives were at stake.
Her baby’s life was at stake.
That was the thought that refocused her attention and made her try again.
If she needed sunglasses, then that’s what she’d find.
Jackie pulled on the link to her husband and siphoned off some of his power. It felt so good to have it writhing inside of her, eager to be used. It made her swell and grow in a way she couldn’t describe.
It made her whole.
She concentrated on the light and what she needed to happen. As always with magic, there was an effort of will, an exertion that forced it to take the shape she needed it to take. Some things were easier than others, but new things were always harder.
Building a magical pair of sunglasses to dim the light emanating from a woman hundreds of miles away was definitely new.
She gathered up the power and directed it to her eyes like she did when she needed to be able to see in the dark. Energy shot through her body and streaked up her spine. It gathered into two tight balls as it went, then detonated like tiny bombs just behind her closed eyelids.
The snow disappeared. Everything vanished and went dark.
She’d gone too far, she realized. She’d dimmed her vision too much.
She dialed back on the mojo until she found a sweet spot where she could see the light but wasn’t blinded by it. As soon as she was satisfied with her adjustment, she set the flow of power coming from Iain at a steady rate so she could concentrate on the woman.
She was inside a small house. No, not a house, a cabin. It was just one room, no more than fifteen feet across. There was a round, metal chimney coming out of the side, pointing skyward. Smoke billowed from it, melting snowflakes as it went.
Jackie floated downward toward the ground until she was at eye level with the small window in the front wall of the cabin.
Three wooden steps led to the front door. The little building was rough and shabby, as if it hadn’t been maintained in years. Paint peeled from wooden siding. The bare bulb over the door was broken, the fixture crooked, as if someone had bashed it with a bat. An empty bird’s nest was tucked under the roofline with bits of Easter grass and plastic straw wrappers stuck inside the intricate web of grass and twigs.
Pale blue light glowed through the dirty window. Inside, Jackie could see a woman crouched in front of a wood stove, rubbing her hands together for warmth.
She was shivering visibly from the cold. Her hands were bright red. Her jeans were soaked to her knees and her boots sat beside the stove, also wet.
Jackie couldn’t see her face. The glow was too bright, obscuring her features.
She tried to dial down the glare, but all that did was black out the woman completely.
Maybe there was something nearby that would identify her or her location.
Jackie scanned the area, searching for newspapers or mail. All she saw was dirt on the floor and a distinct absence of furniture.
This cabin was empty. So why was this woman here?
Her car. Jackie could find her car and get the license plate. That would tell her either the state the woman was in or at least the one she was from, wouldn’t it?
She backed out of the cabin and did a visual sweep of the snowy landscape outside.
All she saw were footprints in the deep snow. No car, no snowmobile, no nothing. Apparently, the woman had walked here.
Jackie found the tracks and followed them back through the woods. Surely the woman had left her stranded vehicle behind nearby and walked in the rest of the way.
But all Jackie saw as she moved away from the cabin was tracks that were swiftly filling in with snow. After about a mile, there was no longer any trace of the woman’s passage left.
“What the hell?” she said aloud.
As soon as she spoke, she snapped back into herself as if attached to a rubber band.
Iain was still with her, in her thoughts. He’d been silent and still, but had monitored the whole thing.
She opened her eyes. Everything was dark. It took her a second to realize she was still wearing her magical sunglasses.
She dropped the magic, and for a moment, could see his handsome face clearly. Then the lights began to glow again, blocking her sight.
“I have no clue,” Iain said. “But clearly, she’s in trouble.”
Jackie closed her eyes and tried not to let her frustration get the best of her. “What makes you say that?”
“She was alone in a snowstorm with no supplies. Her coat wasn’t even that warm. She looked like she was dressed to go shopping, not to take a midnight hike in the woods. And she’d broken into that cabin, likely for warmth.”
“How do you know she broke in?”
“The door knob was broken. There was a piece of firewood lying nearby with a fresh gouge.”
Jackie hadn’t seen any of that. She wondered what else she’d missed.
“Did you see anything that could tell us where she is?”
She felt his answer through the luceria before it came.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t.”
She sighed, gave herself ten seconds to feel all the frustration and worry her failure caused, then sat up straighter in her flimsy folding chair.
“Guess we need to try again,” she said. “Maybe the next woman will make identifying her a little easier.”
Her belly hardened, drawing so tight it nearly stole her breath.
Braxton Hicks contractions. That’s w
hat Ronan had told her these were. She’d been having them for a while, but now every time one hit, she worried that she’d run out of time.
Iain placed his big, warm hand on her belly until the contraction stopped. “You don’t have to keep going if you’re too tired.”
“I have to,” Jackie said. “We’re running out of time.”
Chapter Sixteen
Morgan tried to sleep and failed. He didn’t sleep often, his body able to go days or even weeks without rest. But his body was tired from feeding Briant his blood, and the only thing that would help heal him was fluids, food and rest.
So, he lay in a bed too small for his body and tried to relax. When that didn’t work, he rose and knelt beside the bed to meditate as he had thousands of times before. No matter what he did, his mind couldn’t seem to settle enough to rest.
He and Serena were bonded, and yet it wasn’t at all like he thought it would be. There was no celebration. The event had come and gone with as much fanfare as laundry day.
He was left unsatisfied, like something vital was missing from their union.
Other men had been in his position and they always walked around, grinning, like nothing in their world could go wrong.
Maybe his bond just needed more time to solidify.
Then again, maybe it would always be a hollow substitute without real love—something as cold as the negotiation that had formed it.
As his mind raged with worry, an odd sensation vibrated behind his ribs. He felt heat and a relief of pressure. It was so small it was barely a sensation at all, but he knew without a doubt what it was.
Serena was tapping into his power, practicing, which meant she was probably outside, alone.
He rushed from the bedroom, pulling his jeans on as he went. His sword was in his hand as he cleared the doorway.
A blast of cold air stole his breath. His leather jacket had been too hacked up, too bloody to save. There would be others stored inside the gerai house for just such an occasion, but he hadn’t yet bothered to find one that would fit his shoulders and still allow him room to swing his sword.
The pre-dawn sky was bright with stars and a thumbnail moon. More light from the windows spilled out over the brown lawn. He didn’t even need to draw power to his eyes to see clearly.
He scanned the area, searching for a glimpse of Serena’s fiery hair and pale skin, but saw nothing. He could feel her, though, on the other end of their newborn link, guiding him to her.
Morgan walked around to the back of the house.
Winter wind sucked warmth from his bare chest, but he ignored the chill. Only Serena’s safety mattered.
She was on her hands and knees in the middle of the back yard, inside what looked like a giant, black rune. As he approached, he could see that the squiggly line of black was charred grass. She was breathing hard, and even from a few yards away, he could see her shaking.
“Serena?” he said softly so he wouldn’t startle her.
She jerked upright to her knees, then wobbled as if even that movement was too much effort. She stayed facing away from him, but he couldn’t tell if it was because she was hiding her weakness from him, or because she simply didn’t have the strength to stand and face him.
“It’s not as easy as I thought it would be,” she said.
“What isn’t?” he asked.
“I didn’t want to wake you. You needed to rest after feeding the Sanguinar for me.”
He still didn’t understand why she was risking her safety outside the protective walls of the gerai house. “What are you doing out here alone?”
“I need to practice wielding your power. I didn’t realize it would disturb you.” She was panting as she spoke.
He came around in front of her. The whites of her eyes were bloodshot, as was often the case with women who tried to wield too much power at once. Her usual pink complexion was pale with bright blotches of angry red. She kept blinking, like she was struggling to focus, and she still had yet to catch her breath.
“You didn’t disturb me,” he said as he knelt in front of her, concerned by what he saw.
Even marred by her efforts, she was still deeply beautiful—the kind of beauty that drove men past the edge of sanity, just for a chance to be near her.
She’d bound herself to him, but she still wasn’t his any more than he was hers.
Something about that thought bothered him, but he didn’t spare the attention to figure out what it was. She was his sole focus.
He smoothed her loose curls away from her face, because he had to touch her—make sure she was real and that he wasn’t dreaming that she’d saved him and freed him from his pain.
The chill of her skin told him this was no dream.
“You’re freezing. Come inside and warm up for a while, then we’ll try again, properly this time.”
“Properly? I know how the bond works, Morgan. I’ve been trained for this since I was a toddler.”
“You’ve seen how the bond worked for your parents and others who’ve been connected for a while. We haven’t been. The farther away from you I am, the harder it’s going to be for you to draw on my power.” He spanned his hand at the base of her throat until his ring came in contact with her necklace. As it did, sparks erupted from the point of contact and lit their faces. “See?”
Her eyes closed and her head fell back on a groan of pleasure. Her cold fingers covered his, gripping him tight so he couldn’t move his hand.
“This is what I want,” she whispered. “Your heat. Your power.” She opened her eyes and stared into his. There was hunger there, hunger and desperation. “Give it to me, Morgan. I’ve been so cold and alone for so long. Give me what I need.”
As she said the words, he got a flickering image of what she wanted.
The two of them together, naked, entwined. Fucking.
It wasn’t a gentle, sweet image, but one of raw, carnal need. There were no girlish fantasies in her head, tricking her into thinking that sex would lead to love. She was a woman who understood reality. A woman who wanted him.
He should have been bothered by her desire. He’d been hit on plenty of times before and never once had he been tempted. His thoughts had always been of Femi and how physical intimacy with another woman was a betrayal of her memory.
But now, with Serena in front of him showing him what she wanted, what she needed, he found his thoughts scattering so thin that his male instincts were able to surface.
She was his mate now, at least for a while. Sex was common between bonded Theronai. Instincts guided them to strengthen their bond, to join themselves together as tightly as possible. He wouldn’t go so far as to say it was his duty to sleep with her, but no one would fault them for it.
With her here, so beautiful and hungry, he could hardly fault himself, could he?
“Physical intimacy will strengthen our bond,” she said. “We’re going to need all the help we can get to connect. I realize that now. And in this case, it’s going to be so enjoyable to further the cause, don’t you think?”
There were so many parts of him he couldn’t give her, it seemed unfair to withhold one more. Especially when it was something he so desperately wanted to give her.
Would Femi understand? How many times had she begged him to leave her and find a suitable wife? Someone younger and able to give him children? He’d told her over and over that she was the only woman he wanted.
It had been true for centuries. But now…now he wanted another. Badly. His desire was purely physical, and likely a result of the magic flowing between him and Serena, but that changed nothing.
He needed to feel her skin under his fingertips, to hear her breathless cries of pleasure. He needed to sink himself into her so deeply he’d drive away all his doubts and guilt. If only for a little while.
Before he could lose his head and take her here, under the stars, where there was no shelter from enemies or the cold, he picked her up and headed for the house.
She was limp with fa
tigue and pliant in his arms—something he’d never associated with her before. Serena was prickly at best, always on guard and ready to fight at the slightest provocation. But now, under the stars and the cover of darkness, she’d let him see her weakness. For some reason that felt like more of an intimacy than when she’d stood completely naked in front of him in her motel room.
This woman in his arms was more than she seemed, just as he was more than people saw in him. He didn’t know how long he would have to learn her secrets and uncover her layers before she chose whether or not to stay bonded to him, but he hoped that what he found would lead him to understand her better.
Morgan didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to live in pain. The only way to avoid those things was to convince Serena they made a good team, even in bed. Perhaps especially in bed.
She curled into his bare chest and buried her nose against his neck. “You smell so good—like the spring air I remember from my childhood.”
Her lips brushed his skin, kissing and nibbling as they moved.
Morgan tightened his gut against a punch of lust that made his cock surge behind his fly.
Maybe it was the luceria fueling their desire for each other, but he didn’t care. It felt real and if he felt it, then so would she. And right now, he was willing to use every advantage he had to tie her to him so tightly she’d never consider walking away.
Serena was going to be his. Tonight.
He made it as far as the back door before he gave into the need to kiss her. She turned her face up to his like a flower starving for sunshine, and drank him in. Her lips were sweet and soft, smooth as rose petals and just as delicate.
She sighed into his mouth, the sound one of a starving man finally tasting food again. There was so much relief in the sound, so much need, he almost wondered if he’d heard it right.
She deepened the kiss, driving her tongue behind his teeth to gather his taste. With every slick glide his mouth watered. It had been so long since he’d kissed a woman like this.
Not since….
No. He wouldn’t go there again. Not now. This moment was between him and Serena. No ghosts allowed.
He tried to remind himself to be gentle with her, but those sweet noises of hers were making it hard to think of anything but stripping her naked and getting inside of her.
Saving Daylight Page 15
