Cataclysm (21 page)

“I must warn you to be careful about how much of my energy you take into yourself, Miss Cruz. Not for my sake, but for your own. I’m sure you’ve seen the power the Light has when you’ve used it in the past. Power of that magnitude can be too much for a beginning Guardian such as yourself to handle.”

“I’ll handle it just fine. I have to.”

“Yes, well, whatever it is that’s so secretive you can’t tell me, I hope it’s worth it.”

That was the messed-up thing about their situation, wasn’t it? Drew trusted her enough to give her what was essentially a part of him, and she couldn’t tell him why either of them was taking the risk.

She would be careful where he was concerned, but she still had to do it.

She nodded once, resolved in her position. “It’s worth it,” she said, because Dominic was.

Evening came and as the sun set Drew already felt more like himself. Kerrigan kept him company in the garden while he let the sun and his inner Light do what they did best: re-energize him. They passed the time by getting to know each other a little better, which seemed a little backward from what they had just done. After all, a part of him was now of inside her. Not the part a man usually shared with a woman, but something vastly intricate—something deeply-seated in a world hidden to the mortal eye.

He had never shared his Light Source with any other Guardian, but then again, there had never been a need for it before Kerrigan. His father and grandfather had taught him how to do it during one of his many training sessions, just in case. He finally understood the meaning behind the same analogy he had heard from them time and time again over the course of his lifetime—everything happens for a reason. He had been gearing up for this encounter with Kerrigan, and he hadn’t even realized it.

Sitting there with her in her quiet innocence, he doubted she even knew just how epic that was. She had been completely engrossed in the details of his life, and not once did he see her look around for Dominic, even though he knew the man had to have been perfectly aware of his girlfriend’s location. If the roles were reversed, he sure would have been.

He told her the history of his family bloodline, even exposing the truth behind the illegitimate child born to Charles Dickens, and the woman who had only been rumored to have been his mistress. Her name was Ellen Turnan. There was a great deal of speculation that Ellen, a traveling actress, had borne Charles a son, but there was never any proof, no documentation. That was because Charles had burned the records himself in an effort to protect his beloved from ridicule. He had truly loved his legitimate family and hadn’t wanted to cause them any embarrassment because of his obsession with the actress.

Their son, John Dickens, had been hidden away in the English countryside from accusing eyes. While those who suspected his existence believed him dead, he had actually lived a very long and full life, even having children of his own. Drew was a product of that lineage.

Kerrigan was on the edge of her seat, enthralled with the sacred history of his family’s legacy. Although they had been sworn to secrecy, he somehow trusted her with the information.

She opened up to him in kind, but not about her reasons behind needing a surplus of energy so urgently. As promised, he didn’t press her on the matter, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it had everything to do with Dominic Grayson. He just hoped Dominic knew how lucky he was to have a woman who was so willing to take the risks associated with gaining that much power in such a short amount of time.

After hearing the tales of her childhood, as well as the story behind her ex-fiancé, he came to understand her a bit more. It was obvious that she had been lorded over by the men in her life for far longer than she could stand. She was a strong woman and didn’t like to be viewed as someone weak who needed to be taken care of.
She
was the caregiver, and she preferred it that way. It was a common trait among Guardians.

When she talked about the people she cared about most, he paid close attention to even the smallest changes in her facial expressions. A tiny tug at the corner of her mouth when she mentioned her mother, the subtle furrow of her brow when she spoke of her father, a twitch at the corner of her eye when she brought up Gabe’s many antics, and the way her entire face lit up when he asked about her grandmother—all of them caught his attention and captivated him. She was a very beautiful woman.

And then there was Dominic. Her eyes sparked each and every time she said his name. He found himself wishing he could trade places with the mortal man so that he might sample what it felt like to be adored by such an amazingly stunning woman. It must have been obvious what he was thinking because she suddenly became quiet. Her long lashes brushed her cheeks demurely when she looked up at him and said, “I’m sorry. I’m talking way too much and monopolizing the conversation, aren’t I?”

“Not at all. On the contrary, I love to hear you talk. You’re so animated, like a breath of fresh air. A far cry from the dull and dreary women whose company I usually keep.”

“Oh? Do you have a girlfriend, Drew? I mean, back home in London?”

He chuckled. “I’m afraid not. I haven’t been fortunate enough to find a woman with even a fraction of your ability to hold my attention. You fascinate me, Miss Cruz.”

Kerrigan sat back in her chair and looked away bashfully.

“Have I made you uncomfortable?”

She shook her head and redirected the subject back to him. “I just find it hard to believe that a man like you doesn’t have women crawling out of the woodwork. I mean, you’re intelligent, charismatic, and your personality couldn’t be any more perfect.”

“Ah, all the things one says about an unsightly person when trying to set them up on a blind date.” He laughed.

Kerrigan rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I mean. You’ve seen yourself in the mirror, Drew. You know how handsome you are. You don’t need me to point out the obscenely obvious.”

“To answer your question... I do attract my fair share of the opposite sex. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m of the near-extinct breed that believes a man should choose a partner with whom they have something in common, someone he can talk to, someone who understands him. The only woman I’ve ever met who fits that criterion seems to already be taken.” He held her gaze, making certain she knew to whom he was referring.

“Yo, Kerr!” Colton yelled from the back porch, disrupting the moment and causing her to jump. “We want to order pizza! What’ll you have?”

“Just cheese for me, please!” she called back.

“Pfft, cheese. You women kill me.” He hammered on his chest and gave a guttural grunt. “Me man. Me want meat. Am I right, Drew? Tell me to pile on the meat, man. Please! I’m begging you.”

Drew laughed, but kept his eyes on Kerrigan. “None for me, thank you.”

Colton shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He turned and disappeared back into the house.

Drew stood. “I need to get back to the hotel. Akasha gets cranky when she’s kept out late. Isn’t that right, girl?”

The bulldog gave him a snort in answer and slowly rose to her feet, which looked like it took a great deal of effort. Millie jumped up from his spot beside Kerrigan’s chair and stretched his short legs out in front of him, arching his back.

“You’re sure you won’t stay?” she asked, standing as well.

For just a moment he thought about it, but for some reason he knew it would bother him more now to see her and Dominic doing the things that couples typically do. He gave her a tight smile. “I think it’s best if I go.”

“When will you be back?”

He looked her over, from her toned legs to her stunning eyes. As much as he wanted to, he knew kissing her would be inappropriate, and he was doing his best to stave off the urge. His voice was quiet but sure, carrying a seductive tone. “I would be on your doorstep every morning of every day if you asked it of me, Kerrigan Cruz.”

A slight blush tinted her cheeks. The hue blended perfectly with the soft pinks, oranges, and golds of the setting sun. It only made Drew yearn for her more than he had just realized he already did.

Lying in bed that night, he would think about the connection they had shared earlier that afternoon, recalling the indescribable heat that had surged through him, the way her hand fit so perfectly to his, and how he could almost penetrate her inner sanctuary. He would make plans to invite her into his during their next session. He wanted her to see the place where only he had ever been, to become a part of who he was. It was the most precious gift he could offer, and he wanted to give it to her.

“I feel like I ask too much of you already.” It took him a moment to realize she was answering his earlier statement and wasn’t actually reading his mind. “How about if you come by tomorrow? You haven’t met the rest of our friends yet, and I know they’re dying to meet you, thanks to Gabe. The whole gang can get out of the house for a little while. No training, just fun in the sun.”

“I think I’d like that very much.” He smiled, satisfied with the knowledge he would be in her presence again very soon. If friends were all they were meant to be, then so be it. Only time would tell if they were meant for anything more.

Kerrigan and Millie walked their guests to the front of the house where Drew’s rental car was parked. He opened the back door and ushered Akasha inside and then turned to her, taking her hand in his. “Until tomorrow.” He pressed his lips to her open palm where their energy had been shared. Tiny sparks of something magical ignited from the point of contact and spread through her on ripples of electric currents before finally dissipating.

Even after he had released her hand, it remained suspended in midair. At a loss for the words, she just stared at the spot where he had kissed her.

Seemingly unaffected by whatever it was, Drew leaned in to whisper into her ear, “Sweet dreams, Kerrigan.”

Still in a semi-daze, she barely noticed when he walked away and got inside the car. Without another word, he started the engine, smiled at her through the passenger window, and then pulled away.

Watching his taillights disappear from sight, it was hard for Kerrigan to decipher her feelings about Andrew Dickens. She hadn’t missed the suggestion in his voice or the way he looked at her with familiar eyes, and she certainly hadn’t missed that sparkly thing that happened when he had pressed his lips to her palm. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t attracted to him. He was a very handsome man with a charismatic charm that would make any woman swoon, but what tugged at her senses most was the way she felt when she was around him. The surge of power when they touched notwithstanding, there was an inexplicable pull between them that only grew in strength the more time they spent together.

But he wasn’t the man she loved. He wasn’t Dominic.

She gasped when she suddenly felt her heart expand in her chest and every sense in her body suddenly become energized, charged with something otherworldly—something far more potent than anything she had ever shared with any other man, save one. She knew that feeling.

She turned around and looked toward the open window of the bedroom she shared with Dominic. There he stood, shirtless, with his arm raised over his head to brace himself against the panes of glass. The expression on his face, the look in his eyes, and the taught, rigid lines of his whole body screamed jealousy, confusion, betrayal, desperation, anger—all wrapped up in a contrasting cocoon of unquenchable lust, unwavering fortitude, and undeniable love.

He had seen Drew’s good-bye. To anyone else it would have looked rather innocent, but she knew how possessive he was of her. Given his current situation, it was understandable that he might feel threatened by the newcomer’s forwardness. After all, she would have felt the same way if the shoe was on the other foot. She would have to speak to Drew about it the next day and explain that however innocent they may be, if his actions made Dominic uncomfortable, they were inappropriate.

Seeing his reaction over a simple kiss to the hand, she was beyond relieved that Dominic hadn’t had to witness the connection she and Drew shared in the garden. It was all business as far as she was concerned, but he would see it as something far more intimate. A show of that perceived intimacy between the woman he loved and the man he believed wanted her for himself, in addition to the muck he was already wading through with the disappearing act, would be a recipe for the perfect storm.

She had to go to him, to make him understand that she needed him just as much as he needed her. He had to know that her feelings for him would never change.
He
was her everything.