Burned (Keeper of the Flame) (19 page)

“What?” I struggle to sit up. Ryan scoops an
arm beneath me and pulls me into a sitting position. I slump
against him, my head spinning.

“You said this wasn’t dangerous,” he
whispers, breath tickling my ear.

I swallow. “It isn’t. I saw the book.”

“You did?” Cheyenne perks up.

“I think…” I remember the feel of the cold
seeping into my bones, see the sliding panel again. “I think I know
where it is.”

“Where?” Ryan asks.

“The Shadow Hill Hotel.”

“No.” Ryan folds his arms with a quick shake
of his head.

“Ryan‒”

“No,” he says again. He stands next to the
couch where I’m sitting, mouth drawn in a frown. “You’re not going
over there right now. You still look like you’re about to pass
out.”

When my hands tremble, I squeeze them
together. “It’s just because I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting
that to happen.”

Cheyenne blows out the candles and gathers
the rest of the items to put in a basket. She gives me a
sympathetic smile. “That
was
kind of scary. I mean, I just
thought you’d have a quick vision or something. Not pass out.”

“I
did
have a vision‒I didn’t pass
out.”

“You stopped breathing,” Ryan says.

My mouth drops open.

Cheyenne flutters her hands at me in a
soothing motion. “Just a few seconds. Stop being dramatic,
Ryan‒”

“Dramatic? Screw that. It was dangerous. She
stopped
breathing
, Cheyenne. You think that’s worth it? She
doesn’t need a vampire to kill her, she can just die in a
vision.”

The room goes quiet. I get to my feet, hands
clenched at my sides, trying to stop the dizziness that keeps
hitting me. But then Ryan turns to me, apology in his eyes. “I
didn’t mean that. I’m‒I don’t want you to get hurt. This isn’t
exactly familiar or comfortable territory for me.” He reaches out,
smoothing his hands across my shoulders and down my arms. “Listen,
I just want you to take a minute. Eat something. Get your color
back. Maybe think about going tomorrow.”

“We’re running out of time. If I wait until
tomorrow, that’s one less day we have to plan what we’re going to
do.”

There’s a struggle on his face. He knows it’s
true. He knows we need a plan, but I can see where he’s coming
from. This isn’t exactly normal stuff we’re dealing with here. So
far a lot of it has been a gamble, and Ryan strikes me as the kind
of person who likes to stick to the simple solution.

The safe solution.

“Sit,” Cheyenne says. “Drink something. I’ll
run and get food and then we can decide.”

When I frown, Ryan urges me to the couch.
“Come on. Just an hour break.”

Once I’m seated, Cheyenne leaves. I blow out
a long breath and close my eyes, leaning my head back on the
cushion. “At least I have a couch,” I mumble.

I hear Ryan’s soft laugh beside me. His hand
touches my shoulder, rubbing at the knots in the muscles. “We don’t
have to go anywhere today.”

I open one eye at him briefly. “You aren’t
going to change my mind.”

I go back to relaxing but when I feel his
breath on my ear, both eyes whip open this time.

“Ry‒”

He stops me with a kiss, hard and deep. My
hands find his shoulders, curving them around his muscles and
sliding up to his neck. Ryan grips my waist and hauls me onto his
lap.

“You’re trying to distract me,” I say, lips
brushing his.

“You want me to distract you. You want
this.”

“I do. I
do
want this, but‒”

I yank in a breath when his hands work their
way under my shirt. His fingertips sweep against my ribs, trace
them to my back, and I shiver. His hand is like a waterfall down my
spine.

“I need you naked to really distract you,” he
whispers, lips pressing at my neck, my jaw, my earlobe. “Can you do
this?”

The fire is simmering in my veins, skimming
so close to the surface, I have to release a slow breath. “I’m
trying.”

But my heart is racing and suddenly I’m not
so sure.

Ryan cups my face in his hands. “What is it?”
I start to shake my head, but he holds me still. “Willow, tell me
what happened.”

I curl my fingers into the cotton of his
T-shirt, trying to focus my thoughts. “It…the fire…it didn’t start
until college. Before that, I had a boyfriend. We were half in
love. We could be intimate and it wasn’t a problem. But when I went
to college, we split up and…” I clear my throat, eyes flashing to
his. “I met this other guy at a party. He was nice at first‒but
later that night, he wanted to take things further. I told him I
wasn’t ready, and he‒he wouldn’t stop.”

“Willow.” Ryan takes my hands, fingers strong
around mine. Steadying.

I swallow and look away. “Anyway, he was on
top of me and‒and I couldn’t get him off. His hands were
everywhere, under my shirt and pulling off my pants, and I
panicked. I fought at first, and then I froze because I didn’t know
what else to do.”

“And then the fire came?”

“Yes. His arms caught fire. He‒I‒I didn’t
know what to do. I called the police and he wouldn’t stop screaming
until the fire went out. They had to take him away in an ambulance.
I‒” I choke on emotion, tucking my chin to my chest.

“Willow.” Ryan’s thumbs brush my cheeks and
his lips find mine. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“It was,” I said, voice hoarse. “I couldn’t
stop it. He‒he was in so much pain.”

“Self-defense,” Ryan murmured. “You never
would have hurt him if he hadn’t attacked you.”

“But‒”

“Willow, please listen to me. It’s not your
fault.”

He pulls me against his chest, hand warm on
my back. I’m still straddling his lap, and I sink into his embrace.
His brushes my hair off my neck and murmurs a few more words I
can’t make out.

Finally, he says, “Sorry. I shouldn’t
have…made you do this‒”

“No.” I straighten. “Ryan, you didn’t make me
do anything. I want this. I want‒” I shove my hands in my hair.
“God, I want to be with you. I want you so badly. I just‒I’m afraid
I’m going to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I trust you.”

“I don’t.” I shake my head. “I don’t trust
me.”

“You’re learning to control it,” he says,
gaze locked on mine. “You can do it.”

And I can’t ignore the passion smoldering in
his eyes, or the ache I feel because he’s so close but so far
away.

I slide my hands under his shirt, feeling his
abdomen tighten. “Help me,” I whisper. “Help me do this.”

His breath hitches and he nods. “Slow,
Willow. You can do this.”

I reach for the button on his pants and hear
a car in the drive. My hands freeze. I look up. “Cheyenne’s
here.”

His head drops back and he groans. “I’m
dying. I swear.”

I laugh and try to get up. He grabs my hips
and holds me down. “Tonight,” he says. “Tonight, I’m going to be
here. And we’re going to do this.”

My stomach flips with nerves and excitement.
“Tonight.”

~ ~ ~

“How do you even know about this secret
panel?” Cheyenne asks.

She and Ryan follow me into the Shadow Hill
Hotel as the sun sinks toward the horizon.

“I…” I glance at Ryan. “I accidentally found
it while I was walking around with Logan. I was planning on doing
research, but I leaned against the wall and the panel opened.”

A muscle jumps in Ryan’s jaw, but he doesn’t
say anything. We walk through the lobby, which isn’t as crowded as
it was over the weekend, and I lead them down the same familiar
hallway we explored a few days ago.

“I think Selena was trying to show it to me.”
I glance at Cheyenne. “Maybe to try to help me find my Book of
Shadows.”

We pass a couple in the hallway and I smile,
trying to pretend like we’re going to our room. When we reach the
same part of the wall where the panel is, I glance around before
pressing my hands against the surface. “It’s here somewhere.”

Ryan pushes against the wall, too. “Are you
sure?”

I nod. When nothing moves or changes, I stand
still.

“What are you doing?” Cheyenne asks.

“Feeling for a draft. That’s why I stopped
here the first time.”

Ryan and Cheyenne wait. I close my eyes. A
cool draft blows against my cheeks, fluttering my hair. I open my
eyes and walk straight forward. My hands find the wall again. I
press against it, then lean against it, and give it a kick for good
measure when it still won’t open.

“Selena,” I whisper, leaning my forehead
against the wall. “I need to get in.”

I hear a click and the panel shifts. I
stumble and Ryan grabs my arm.

“Looks like all you had to do was ask,”
Cheyenne says with a grin. “I’ll be the lookout. Hurry.”

Ryan pushes the panel farther to the side and
pulls out the small flashlight he brought. He shines it in the
darkness. I can make out stones on the walls and flooring that
looks like it belongs in a cave.

I start to step inside, but Ryan takes my arm
again. “Let me.”

He moves to go in, but it’s like he’s walking
into a wall. “What the hell?” He lifts his hands and presses them
against an invisible surface.

“Maybe there’s a spell on it,” Cheyenne says.
“To keep people out.”

“Except me,” I say. “Or except witches.”

I take the flashlight from Ryan. “It’s fine,
I’ll just look around.”

He frowns, but there’s nothing he can do. I
step inside the cavern, then turn and peek my head back out. “Can
you just…kind of hold this panel here?”

“Why?”

I smile. “Last time I came in here, it shut
behind me and I sort of…”

“Sort of what?”

“Got stuck.”

Cheyenne makes a face and Ryan’s frown
deepens. “I swear,” he says, “you’re a magnet for danger. Hurry
up.”

I duck back in and use the flashlight to
search the stones. The cold seeps into my bones again and I shiver.
“Come on, Selena,” I whisper.

“Someone’s coming,” Cheyenne calls.

“Close the panel,” I tell Ryan.

“Hell no‒”

“Just for a minute.” I nod at him. “It’s
fine, we don’t want anyone suspecting anything.”

His eyes are conflicted as he closes the
panel. All the light except for the small beam from my flashlight
is cut off. I hear whispering and whip around, shining my
flashlight against more stones. But when I shift, I see a gaping
hole of blackness.

I hadn’t taken the time to look around the
first time, but now I can see that it’s not just a small cavern
carved out to hold a few people. There’s another passageway or some
kind of tunnel that leads away from where I’m standing.

Shining the flashlight in that direction, I
try to see if I can find the end. It looks like it keeps going.

More whispering sounds close to my ear and I
bite my lip. “I hope that’s you, Selena. Where’s the book?”

There are muffled voices outside the panel.
Who are Cheyenne and Ryan talking to? Each other? The person
walking by?

I hear something sliding against the stones
and whip my flashlight in that direction. It’s only a few feet from
the door. One of the stones falls from the wall, hitting the rock
below and echoing sharply in the cavern.

I bite back a scream but clutch my necklace
like it’ll protect me. When nothing else happens, I inch forward
and shine my flashlight where the stone was. There’s a small hole.
Taking a breath, I reach inside. I gasp when my fingers touch
something.

When I feel it again, my stomach flutters
with excitement. It’s some kind of cloth. I get a better grip,
fingers closing around something solid inside, and pull. After a
few yanks, the item comes loose in my hand.

Holding the flashlight between my cheek and
shoulder, I light the material. It’s old and musty, but it comes
undone easily, and inside is a book.

My Book of Shadows.

“Thank you, Selena.”

I hear more voices and start toward the panel
again, but there’s whispering behind me once more.

This way
.

I grit my teeth. “I can’t. I have to get out
of here.”

This way
.

Shit. I want to follow Selena’s voice if
she’s telling me there’s something else I need to see. But I can’t
just leave Cheyenne and Ryan.

I press on the panel and say, “Ryan?”

The voices stop, I hear silence for several
seconds, and then Ryan’s voice. “Willow.” His hands fumble on the
outside of the panel. “Open it. Can you open it?”

I push on the panel, the familiar flicker of
panic taking over. “Come on,” I grunt.

“Willow!” Ryan’s voice is urgent now, and
Cheyenne’s joins in.

“Push, Willow! Push on it.”

I do, and then pound my fists, but the panel
won’t budge.

This way
.

“No,” I say. “I’m going out here!”

The panel pops open and I stumble into
Cheyenne and Ryan. He catches my arms, peering into my face. “Are
you okay?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer, just brushes
his hands down my arms, searching everywhere for wounds.

“I’m fine,” I say. “Really.”

“Shit,” Ryan whispers, dragging me into his
arms. He presses his forehead against mine. “I couldn’t get to
you.”

“I told you it got stuck last time, too. I
think…” I shake my head, voice muffled against his shoulder. The
book is wedged between us and I ease back. “I found it.”

Cheyenne takes the book, mouth open. “Your
vision was right.”

I nod. “And I think there’s something else.
There’s a tunnel farther back. I think Selena was trying to get me
to go there.”

“Not happening,” Ryan says, grabbing my hand.
“One disaster at a time.”

Cheyenne rolls her eyes at me.

“But, shouldn’t we just take a look?” I
ask.

In response, Ryan shoves the panel closed,
making it blend back into the wall. “No, we’re not taking a look,
we’re leaving.”