At Night's End

by Katherine Matzen

  “You never told me about the aliens.” He allowed some anger of his own show.

  “What aliens?”

  “The ones who just left!” His fingers itched with the desire to shake some sense into the obstinate woman.

  “I told you about their first visit when you showed up, uninvited in my back yard. What proof do you have they’re aliens?” Her face was flushed and her body trembled.

  “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you fed lunch to a bunch of humans.” He took another step back, feeling his temper rise too fast. How did this woman get so deeply under his skin?

  Her icy glare felt like a kick to his gut.

  “Those men ate my food and repaid my hospitality with an overabundance of gratitude and pleasure. They left when they were done and asked no questions and made no demands, unlike some people I know.” She faltered, and her tone calmed fractionally. “I don’t know where they come from, and I don’t care. But I will not listen to anyone speak about them in a less than respectful manner.” She glared at him in the sudden silence.

  He found himself unable to meet her eyes as shame washed through his body.

  “You need to go, Kyle. Thank you for your help this afternoon.”

  “But I need to protect you.” The request sent anxiety in a quick wave, replacing the unexpected shame. He couldn’t leave right now.

  “From what?” Her fury grew with each word until she seemed to tower over him. “Bald men bearing gifts? I don’t need you waltzing in here trying to worm your way into my life.”

  “I’m not…”

  “Yes, you are.” She cut him off. “I’ll accept interference from Charlie and Anna because I owe them a debt I’ll never be able to repay. But I have no obligation to you.”

  His anxiety fled. This was his chance to impress her. Something deep in his soul shifted and his desire became need. “But I have to take care of you, Danielle. You’ve touched my heart…”

  “Stop right there.” She held up her hands as if he was about to strike her. “I don’t want to hear… I… I love my husband.”

  “But Carl’s gone.” Kyle spoke calmly. He had to remain here with her. Deep in his subconscious he wondered at the words coming out of his mouth. He felt like an observer trapped in his own body. He did feel an obligation to protect her from the senator, since he’d pointed the bastard to her trail, but that didn’t mean he loved her, did it? A shadow passed over his eyes and the doubts vanished. He needed Dani and he had to protect her from the dangerous world no matter what she thought. “I’m sure Carl wouldn’t want you to be alone for the rest of your life.”

  “SHUT UP!” Her entire body shook and her eyes blazed. “Do not say another word, Kyle Manning. You do not get to tell me what Carl would or would not want. You didn’t know him and you don’t know me. Now leave.”

  She flung out an arm to point at the door, refusing to look at him. He opened his mouth to protest and she shook her finger at the door. “GO!”

  The dog growled, rushing at his legs and nipping at his ankles until he took a step toward the door.

  “You need me, Dani. I’m only here to protect you.” Tears stung his eyes at her rejection. Why couldn’t she understand?

  Her shoulders slumped and she stared at the floor, her long hair hiding her face.

  Hope flared and he prepared to gather her up in a big hug, ignoring the dog still snapping at his heels.

  “No, Kyle. I don’t need you. I don’t want you, either. Go back to Denver and forget you ever came here. That’s what I need.”

  Her quiet words hit him like a bullet to the chest and he staggered as the breath whooshed out of his lungs. This can’t be happening. She can’t reject me like this. Anger burbled in the depths of his soul, and his hands clenched into fists. He stalked toward her, but tripped over the dog.

  The red haze obscuring his sight cleared and he saw the fear on Dani’s pale face. Suddenly he was back in control of his actions. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I didn’t…” His tongue stumbled over the flood of words.

  She merely stared at him, eyes wide and hands raised to ward off the anticipated blow.

  Kyle ran, pursued by the faint sounds of her sobs. He’d go back to his hotel, get stupid drunk and take a cold shower. Then maybe he could figure out the whole ridiculous mess and figure out why his emotions were crazed as a pubescent teen’s. And maybe figure out how he could possibly have considered beating the woman who had been so kind to him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Dani wrapped her freshly-filled soap mold with a towel and bumped into Lateef for the third time that night. She closed her eyes and grumbled under her breath before glaring at him.

  “Why are you here, Lateef? Why did you come here in the first place and why do you keep coming back if things here are supposed to be so dangerous for you? I thought you went home days ago.” She absently ran the strand of black pearls through her fingers as she spoke.

  Lateef stared at the pearls, a plethora of emotions swimming through his stormy eyes. “It’s hard to explain.”

  Dani gave an irritated growl and put the last of her soap-making materials away. She checked on the plants she had growing in the window. I will not look outside. There’s no monster waiting. She was adamant, although her fingers itched to twitch the curtains aside.

  “How are they doing?” Lateef joined her at the window.

  “Might actually have enough leaves to try pretty soon.” She ran her fingers over the seedlings, enjoying the released scents. “I’m eager to try the orange basil in a salad.”

  “Sounds good.” He stared at the plants. “You seem more interested in food prep than your soaps lately. Any reason in particular?”

  She turned to face him, leaning against the counter. This passive-aggressive crap is old. “Is there a reason you can’t ask a straight question? What do you really want to know?”

  A brief flash of irritation moved through his blue eyes.

  She smiled to herself, not in the mood to make anything easy on anyone—especially not her disturbing guest. Even if his presence lightened her existence.

  His grin was too bright and reassuring. “I am always straight-forward, unless circumstances demand otherwise. Sometimes I have to come at a subject sideways to make my patients comfortable.”

  Anger stiffened her spine. “So, you think I’m just one of your patients?”

  “No.” His rapid response drained some of her irrational anger. He ran a hand through his hair as he began to pace. “That came out all wrong.”

  “Ask me what you want to know, Lateef. I’m not in the mood for games, especially not since Kyle went…” She swore under her breath and turned away, unwilling to tell him about her current problems.

  “What did Kyle Manning do to get banned from your house?” Anger flashed in his warm eyes, though the emotion was muted, as if he already knew the answer.

  “He overstepped his bounds.” Talk about the understatement of the year. Kyle had banged on her door off and on for three days until Anna read him the riot act. Dani’s face burned with shame at her inability to handle such a simple issue. She should have been able to take care of the bastard herself.

  “In what way?” Lateef pushed too hard. She exploded.

  “I thought you knew everything. That you were ‘watching’ me all the time.” Dani couldn’t stop the rush of angry words.

  “I said I would keep you safe from the Hatti, not your boyfriend.”

  Dani’s head flew back and she blinked rapidly. The air in her lungs grew heavy and her vision narrowed to a tunnel of light filled with black spots. Anger slowly replaced the shock.

  Abby charged into the room, dashing between the two of them repeatedly before pressing against Dani’s legs with a confused whine. Lateef sank back against the worktable, his face to the ground.


  “I am sorry, Danielle. I don’t have any right to speak to you that way.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ve never met anyone who makes me so stupid.” He buried his face in his hands for a long moment.

  Dani’s uncharacteristic anger slowly faded, replaced by snippets of memories of the shadowy figure that haunted her dreams. She forced the mental image away as her pulse slowed. She refused to let that figure control her thoughts. Lateef wasn’t Kyle. She wasn’t sure Kyle was Kyle at this point. His sudden obsession with her was bizarre. He’d gone from irritating to psychotic in a few minutes. She hoped Anna’s lecture was enough to keep him away.

  “Let’s go have some coffee, and you can try to explain. Life makes more sense with caffeine.” She turned her back on the hopeful flash in his eyes, leaving him to follow behind her.

  She waited until a pot of coffee had brewed and cinnamon coffeecake had been sliced and they were settled at the large wooden table before starting the conversation again. Her body was numb, as if all of her emotions had drained out. Now was the time for the truth, no matter how painful. From her as well as Lateef. He’d have to go forever if they couldn’t be honest with each other, no matter how her heart felt.

  “So, who are you?” she asked.

  “Lateef D’Oro,” he answered lightly. “This coffeecake’s really good!”

  “We are way beyond the point where flattery will do you any good. So, spill it. Who—or should I say what are you and why are you here?”

  His grin wilted at her impatient look. “I am Lateef.” He hunched his shoulders defensively.

  “I believe you,” she said. “That’s not what I’m asking about.”

  “Then what do you want to know?”

  She glared at him, tears in her eyes. “I’m so tired of games. I need some straight answers. I don’t want to hear about how you’re trying to protect me or it’s too dangerous or you care too much.” She stumbled to a halt at the last sentence. His gaze intensified and she felt trapped, aware she had said far too much.

  “I do care, Danielle Hamilton.” His voice was husky and his expression far more serious than she had ever before seen on him. “I care a great deal about you. That’s why I’m here and why I keep coming back. And I promise I care enough to leave and never return if you want me to.”

  Dani was surprised at the sizzle of pain zapping through her heart at the thought of never seeing him again. Up until now she hadn’t thought his absence would matter—that she wanted him to go away. She’d been hiding from reality. He made her feel whole again, but she was afraid to let him know. She chose her next words carefully.

  “Why would you have to leave?”

  “It’s complicated,” he hedged.

  She laughed aloud, startling Abby awake. The dog lifted her head and stared for a long moment and then heaved herself out of her bed and came over to lay her head in Lateef’s lap.

  “Traitor,” Dani muttered.

  Lateef stroked the silky fur and sipped his coffee.

  “I’m not from your planet.”

  She rolled her eyes at him. “I believe you mentioned that last time you were here. I don’t know if I should believe you or not.” Parts of the night she had died were still a bit fuzzy, but the memory of his revelation of alien origins was sharp enough she’d doubted its reality. “On one hand I’m pretty sure you’re like no one else I’ve ever seen, so the whole ET idea’s believable, but no one has ever proven we’re not alone in the universe.”

  “What kind of proof do you need?” Irritation flitted across his expressive face. “Spaceship landings on live TV?”

  “Maybe,” she retorted. “And a few, verified by reliable sources stories wouldn’t hurt either.”

  “Who would you consider a reliable source?”

  She caught the trace of sarcasm in his tone. She opened her mouth to reply but couldn’t think of a single example. “I’m not sure.” Her admission came unwillingly, each word separate and distinct. “It’s been a while since I’ve trusted anyone.”

  “Do you trust me?” he asked.

  She hid behind her coffee mug, seriously considering the question. He waited until she finally met his gaze directly.

  “Yes,” she said. “I do trust you, although I can’t come up with any reason why I should.”

  He smiled. Lateef always smiled, but this time he glowed as if the sun had returned after a hurricane and all was right with the universe. His joy was contagious and Dani found her own lips curving up as her heart skipped a few beats.

  “I knew you were special,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. He took a deep breath and then took another sip of coffee.

  “You’re stalling,” she accused him.

  He nodded. “I know. I’m afraid.”

  “Of what?”

  “That you won’t be able to deal with what I need to tell you.”

  “Lateef.” She paused, searching for the right words. “Unless you’re some kind of psychopathic serial killer who tortures small children for entertainment, you won’t convince me to hate you.”

  “It’s nothing like that.” His overly hasty denial almost broke the somber mood.

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I’m… Are you positive you really want the whole truth?” he blurted. “I can create a story you can live with and then leave and you can go back to your life and things can stay the way they are for you.”

  She looked at him, somehow knowing this decision would change the course of the rest of her life. The universe paused, waiting for her response.

  “I don’t want to go back to the way I was.” The admission came slowly. “I want to hate you for making me feel again, but I can’t. The night I died, I saw Carl.” She paused, fighting to speak around the lump in her throat. “I don’t know if he was real.” She interrupted him as he opened his mouth. “It doesn’t matter either way. Even if he was only my imagination, he made me realize I can’t hide out here waiting to die.” She stared down at her lap where her hands were tightly entwined.

  “Immediately after running Kyle off my land, Anna tore into me. She pointed out I’ve been hiding from everything, so I haven’t had to actually deal with my loss. I haven’t wanted to.” Hot, slow tears dripped onto her clenched hands. “I’m not sure I can stand to lose anyone else I care about.”

  “That’s not living.”

  “I know.” She suppressed the flare of irritation at his therapeutic tone. “I’m aware I’m hiding and I can’t ever forget why. But I can’t bear the thought of being hurt again. Losing my Caity tore me apart. It should have been me, and that hurt so much more than any of my injuries.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was so difficult to talk about and yet, the more she spoke, the better she felt. She could feel the bands of depression loosening—a totally different response than she had received from her formal therapy at the hospital.

  “The easiest solution was to refuse to care about anyone or anything. If no one truly mattered, then I couldn’t be devastated when they left.” She met his concerned blue eyes. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever known before. I know next to nothing about you and yet I feel like I’ve known you forever. I can tell when you’re close and I’m lonely when you’re gone. It’s like a part of me is missing when you’re not nearby. I thought I loved Carl until… but what I feel about you? It’s so much more. It’s overwhelming and I’m not sure I like it.”

  Lateef slumped at her explanation. He took a deep breath and gave her a huge smile. “That’s the way I feel about you. I was afraid… well, I thought I might be imagining things. I can’t stay away from you, Dani. When I’m gone, I feel like I lost an internal organ or something.”

  Dani returned his stare for a few seconds before something shifted in her mind. The shadow dogging her every movement blew away like a leaf on a gale. Light bloomed, and hope flow
ed through her veins for the first time since she woke in the hospital. The loss of her baby still hurt, but it was a distant ache, rather than the overwhelming pain she was used to.

  Laughter bubbled out of her chest. “An internal organ?”

  “You’d prefer being a limb?” He feigned indignation. “I can live without a leg. Surviving without a liver is a different story.”

  “I pour my heart out to you and you tell me I’m like your liver?” she asked. “Do you know what the liver does?”

  It was his turn to glare. “How often do I have to remind you I’m a healer?”

  “It might help if you defined healer. I’m familiar with faith healers and quacks and…”

  He was at her side before she was aware he had moved. “I think you remember what I am.” He took her hands and gently pulled her to her feet, all signs of playfulness gone. “Unless you refuse to be honest with yourself, you remember the night in the workshop and you know what I’m capable of.”

  She stared up into his eyes, breathless with the intense emotion hiding behind his calm exterior. “I remember,” she managed to whisper. “I don’t understand, but I remember.”

  He pulled her tightly into his chest and kept her gaze. “I’m not from Earth,” he said.

  “I know.”

  He beamed. “And you’re okay with that?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged, suddenly serious again. “But right now, I don’t care. And last week I didn’t care, and I can’t see caring much next week, or even next year, as long as you don’t leave me alone.”

  “I don’t think I could leave you,” he whispered, trembling with strong emotion. “I tried. I shouldn’t be here now.”

  “Why not?” She clutched at him as if he would disappear on her.

  “Because the Hatti are still looking for me.” He touched her necklace before meeting her eyes again. “These pearls are secreted by oysters from their ancestral planet, one of the few items they cultivate without regard to culinary properties. They’re only given to the most highly regarded chefs.”