by S.E. Akers
I pulled into the parking lot of the Heritage Inn just as the sun was starting to set. The explosion of vibrant colors swirling in the sky mirrored my mood to a T — I was bursting with joy! Lazarus’ quest to acquire Shiloh Ridge had been put on hiatus, and so had Charlotte’s attempt to discard me like yesterday’s trash while she and Chloe ran off to start their new life without me in it. I felt more secure too, knowing my identity was safe…at least for now. And as a bonus, I still had a home to go to. Of course that really depended on whether or not Charlotte had gotten over her humiliation and my unwillingness to line her pocketbook.
A flashing, red-neon “VACANCY” sign caught my eye as I hopped out of the car. I just might be sleeping here tonight if she hasn’t, I grimaced.
The Heritage Inn was Welch’s only motel. Yep, if you were in town visiting, an overnight stay in one of their twenty-four rooms was your sole option. The motel featured a “heritage of coal miners” theme, and plenty of folks who toured West Virginia in the fall in search of a first-hand taste of its livelihood inevitably ended up here. After all, this part of the state was all about coal mining. The Heritage Inn ran scheduled tours to our local mine five days a week on a repurposed old school bus and boasted a quaint museum dedicated to promoting and preserving its history adjacent to their lobby. And by the looks of the modest, two-story motel’s packed parking lot, business was definitely booming.
I made my way to Tanner’s room, still rocking my victorious high. I paused to check my watch as soon as I’d reached the green metal door adorned with the shiny brass “3”. Five-Thirty on the dot, I noted. Then I knocked out a perky little ditty and waited while my mind whirled with all sorts of curious speculations. I still didn’t have the slightest clue where we would be going and the mandated “dress code” had a big hand in fueling the heat of its churn.
My eyes flared as the door flew open. A heart-stopping vision of Tanner Grey pulling on a tailored black shirt that framed his perfectly chiseled, rock-hard abs greeted my eyes. I clamped my teeth together quickly and then launched a loop of silent prayers that my mouth hadn’t been hanging open for too long.
Tanner’s brow bounced into an arch as he announced, “You’re late.”
I held up my watch and leveled it to his gaze, mostly to take the focus off the scorch of my flushed face. “No, I’m not,” I rebutted confidently.
Tanner opened the door wider and pointed over to the bedside clock.
5:35 PM, I groaned quietly. Ugh… Regardless of how many jabs the cheeky Amethyst Talisman planned on hurling my way tonight, I wasn’t about to let a single one of them put a damper on my mood. “You aren’t even ready,” I scoffed, secretly thankful for more reasons than I could count.
“I’ll just be a second,” Tanner assured with a smile and waved me inside. “The sun is about to set . . . What’s with the sunglasses, slick?” he inquired as I walked past him.
I whipped off my shades and postured myself into a rigid stance. “Look at them,” I demanded.
Tanner gazed into my eyes for a moment. His brow furrowed as he drew closer and his stare deepened to the point I felt like nothing could sever the riveting hold of their connection. “I see what you mean,” he rustled, merely inches from me. “They’re really . . . blue.”
The rascally grin that unfolded on his face merely a second after just confirmed the Amethyst Talisman was in true form tonight.
I shook my head. “Besides that,” I huffed. “The streaks of white flashing in them, almost like lightning . . . Like how yours light up when you take off your tiger’s-eye. They started shining about an hour ago. I couldn’t risk anyone seeing them.”
“I know what you meant, Shiloh. Get used to it. They’re going to do that. However, it does pose a problem with Lazarus snooping around. Though I wouldn’t be too worried about any humans catching a glimpse. The only way that can happen is if you reveal them on purpose or accidentally. That’s always a possibility when your emotions shift drastically. Especially when you get upset or angry. You’ll learn to control it . . . eventually.”
“I need a tiger’s-eye,” I sighed.
“Get over it. I told you — It’s impossible right now. A tiger’s-eye protects your psyche from other supernaturals by clouding theirs. It blocks their senses, so they can’t feel your power. But that doesn’t mean they can’t see it if you accidentally reveal it to them. Stones have a mind of their own, you know. Sometimes they want to make their presence known. You have to learn to control how your stone radiates through your eyes. After all, they are the window to your soul,” Tanner announced with a passionate air as he finished buttoning his shirt. “Even a skilled Talisman can have a slip-up . . . now and then.”
Great. One more thing I have to worry about, I grumbled as I tucked my sunglasses inside my purse. My thoughts turned to Charlotte when my fingers grazed my wallet.
“You knew . . . Beatrix did too, didn’t she?” I posed.
Tanner flicked the collar of his shirt. “About what? Your land?”
I shook my head and grinned like a played fool. I didn’t even bother with asking why he or Beatrix never filled me in. I’d already resigned myself to the fact that those two operated like a covert division of the CIA — Need-to-Know.
Notably aroused, I tried to act as casual as possible while he finished getting ready. After all, this was the first time I’d been in a motel room with a handsome guy…alone. Tanner was incredibly attractive—no doubt about it—but I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else about the mysterious and dashing Professor Grey that made these desires emerge. Maybe that was an ability of his?
Even though I was now officially eighteen and technically no longer “jail-bait”, thoughts of Ty still lingered in my mind. I’d had a crush on him for years. If he did break up with Kara, I wanted to see how things played out with him. I owed myself that much. Anyway, I hadn’t remained a virgin this long just to blow it on an out of the blue whim — no matter how stirred up my libido seemed. Even entertaining such a crazy thought wasn’t the least bit like me. I’d always wanted my sacred “first-time” to be with someone I truly loved unconditionally, and that I knew shared my feelings. I certainly wasn’t about to plummet off that cliff because of any peer-pressure. I’d seen enough broken hearts around my school and had heard too many vulgar rumors about my fellow female classmates to know I wouldn’t be venturing a jump without a beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt guaranteed parachute. Though my beliefs about my hallowed first-time were old-fashioned and sentimental, I remained practical — love was a requirement, marriage wasn’t. However, as I watched Tanner run a comb through his luminous brown tresses, lusty images whirled my insides like a high-speed turbine. I had to constantly scold myself to “snap out of it”. All I knew for sure right now was that we needed to be out the door and well on our way to wherever—like quick—because the way his intoxicating musk and vanilla scent was filing my head certainly wasn’t helping my deep-rooted restraint one damn bit.
“Let’s go,” Tanner announced as he slipped on his leather jacket. “We don’t want to be late.”
I thought I would take a stab at the secrecy regarding our outing. “Why no play clothes this evening?” I inquired as we headed for the door.
“I figured you needed a break tonight . . . And no more water. I promise,” he grinned.
Tanner led the way through the parking lot, heading in the opposite direction of where I’d parked. We came to a stop in front of a sleek, chromed-out vintage black & silver Harley Davidson. He hopped on the motorcycle and patted the vacant spot behind him.
I stared at the patch of black leather for a moment, feeling more than hesitant. Granted, this was my first time on an actual motorcycle, but after considering the thoughts that had been running around my head just minutes earlier, my reluctance solely rested with the idea of wrapping my arms around the sultry Talisman as we barreled down the road for a thrilling bi
ke ride. I didn’t want to think about what emotions that would trigger…and he would be able to sense every last one of them too.
Tanner tilted his head and sighed, “Oh, please tell me you’re not scar—”
I quickly cut him off. “No,” I replied as I threw my leg over the seat and sat down, tensely locking my hands onto his waist. My only wish at this moment was that “nervous” carried a much stronger scent than “aroused”.
“Where’s a helmet?” I asked innocently as I scanned all around.
Tanner let out an exaggerated laugh. “Do you really think you need one?”
Seeing how my bones were now unbreakable and unless we ran into a tree made of diamonds, I would inevitably walk away from any accident unscathed. A modest grin had me brushing off my safety concerns that now seemed utterly ridiculous.
“No. I suppose I don’t,” I confirmed, my grin stretching into a full smile.
While the engine churned out its rumbles as we waited to pull off, I leaned closer to Tanner and yelled in his ear, “So where are we going on this Wednesday night that I needed to get dressed up?”
Tanner called back in a boisterous voice, “Church, of course.”
As we headed west on Highway 52, I had a gut feeling about which “church” we would be attending. My suspicions were confirmed when we turned onto Route 80 after passing through Iaeger. I caught a glimpse of a mileage sign as we whizzed by it.
