Emanare (Destined, #1) (20 page)

“Don’t get any ideas,” Sam replied. “I’m still spoken for. Plus, you smell like sweat.”

“Yeah—yeah, you know you like my sweaty arms.” His arm felt damp across her cold back.

“Eww…you’re such a boy.” Sam tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge. 

Sam sank deeper into his one-armed hug. “By the way, I’m sorry for what I said to you Saturday. You’re not a jughead jock. You were just concerned, and I overreacted.”

“Don’t worry about it. Can I walk you back to the dorm?”

“That’s what I was hoping. I’m not walking through this creepy campus alone at night.” Sam’s smile widened. Sometimes she felt so torn between the human and the magical worlds. At the moment, she was content in her human world.

The sun set much earlier now. The winter months crept in with the darkness. She had sudden chills; the temperature had taken a nosedive. On campus, the overhead lights shone down on the deep crevices in the stone buildings, casting eerie shadows and intensifying Sam’s goose bumps. She moved closer to Chase; the campus was oddly quiet. They reached the path leading to the dormitories. The towering trees blocked the moon’s cast, causing the forest to look black. As Sam’s pupils adjusted to the darkness, an unsettling tingle inched up her spine.

Chase grabbed her hand and began swinging her arm, making her forget about her uneasy feeling. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the darkness. “So, Sam Spam, what are your plans for the evening?”

“Sam Spam. I don’t think so. Don’t call me that again.”

“What? It’s cute.” He smirked.

“It’s mystery meat…gross.” She wrenched her hand from his and made a gagging noise.

“That’s attractive.”

“Don’t make me hurt you, Chase Andrew Flynn.” Sam lunged for his arm, but he retracted it quickly and she missed, falling directly into him. He threw his arms around her. 

“Truce, I give up. Now let me go.” He squeezed her tighter and released his firm grip.   

She turned to continue walking, but something in the trees made her stop. Fear immobilized every part of her body. Then she realized what it was.

The red eyes were angry and fixed on her. Her fight-or-flight instinct rose to the surface of her cool skin. She wasn’t sure whether to run or scream. Not that it mattered
—
she was unable to move. Sam remembered the night in the woods, at the reservoir. It was the first night she learned about the dangerous creatures. She couldn’t let Chase get involved in this. He could end up hurt or even killed.

“Is everything okay?” Chase questioned, interrupting her thoughts and standing a few feet in front of her. 

“No—” She shuddered. “You have to run. It’s not safe for you to be here,” Sam gasped as loud as she could, but her voice sounded muffled through her short, rapid pants.

“Samantha, I’m not leaving you here alone. What’s wrong?” Following her gaze, Chase looked out into the trees. “Is there something out there?”

Before Sam could answer, what she assumed to be a Kavari jumped out of the woods, taking Chase down to the ground in one swift movement. The wild monster slashed his long, jagged nails through Chase’s chest, hammering him backward onto a rock, knocking him unconscious.  

 Sam stood alone, waiting for the same fate. Another Kavari appeared from behind a thick tree trunk, standing only a few feet from her. Both creatures watched her with their fierce red eyes. She wondered which one was going to devour her. She was trapped; danger stood in both directions. Even if she tried to run, they would catch her. There was nowhere for her to go. They were too fast.

The creature behind her fell backward, as if he had been pushed, but there was no one else around. He flew into the same tree trunk he had been hiding behind, emitting an unholy howl. The other Kavari sprang at her. Sam dropped to the ground, ducking. He was immediately thrown into a tree, keeping him from landing directly on top of her. Her hands violently caught her fall. The skin on her palms ripped on the pavement. The pain raked through her arms and traveled up into her shoulder blades. She couldn’t figure out what was happening. Nothing had pushed the monsters, yet they had been thrown into the trees. 

She lifted her head to see Draylan hovering in protection. “Sam, stay down,” he shouted. 

“What about Chase? He’s hurt.”

“Everything’s going to be okay. The others are on their way,” Draylan assured her. 

The two Kavari gradually stood up, stumbling onto their bare feet. They shook their heads, trying to process what had just occurred. The larger one, with horrible skin and lurid bright-green hair, grunted in the direction of his partner and retreated into the woods.

The smaller one, who appeared to be a very ugly female, stood in offense, ready to strike at any moment. Her clothing hung wildly and barely covered her unattractive body. She locked her red eyes on Draylan and then down to Sam, squinting in disgust.

A large roar erupted through the trees. Evrik swung himself from a thick tree branch, landing gracefully between the Kavari woman and Sam. He lifted his arms, displaying an enormous bow and arrow. With his massive arm, he pulled back on the string. Within a split-second, he released the arrow, slinging it forward into the creature. The woman hit the ground with the arrow pierced directly through her heart. 

Evrik bent down and threw his arms around Sam. The hard, strong lines on his forehead crumpled.

“I’m okay,” she said. “Please don’t worry.”

“If anything had happened to you…” His words broke.

“Nothing happened.” Sam nestled her head into his chest.

Alea and Malachi arrived seconds later. Alea scooped Chase into a cradle hold. Sam was surprised by Alea’s strength. Chase wasn’t a small guy. Alea lifted her chin up and down slowly, assuring Sam that Chase would be okay and then carried him away. Malachi ran into the woods after the male, his nose in the air, tracking his sent. Draylan was right behind, the woman’s dead body slung over his shoulder. They disappeared into the shadows. It was the last thing Sam saw before breathing out one final sigh, permitting her body’s surrender to the numbing blackness—she fainted.

Sam’s senses began to return. She felt the coldness of the damp cloth on her forehead. It was an icy contrast to the heat tickling the left side of her body. The warm sensation felt comforting. Sam heard a crackling, popping sound against the backdrop of silence. She could smell the ashy scent of burning wood and realized the warmth and the smell came from a roaring fire. Sam’s sight returned last. The figure sitting next to her appeared as a black shadow within a sea of white, like a silhouette. Her pupils opened and the black slowly turned to lavender. She realized she was with Evrik in his home. The moonlight glistened through the window like a bright smile, illuminating his skin from above. She was safe.

“Evrik,” she mumbled, sitting up to see him clearly.

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Is everyone safe?” she asked. “Oh, God, Chase,” she gasped.

“Chase is safe. Alea went with him to the hospital.”

“Hospital!”

“Apparently, after he dropped you off at the dorm last night, he went back out to get something to eat and was attacked by someone, probably a drug dealer from the city. During the attack, he fell back and hit his head on a rock, so he’s suffering from a mild concussion and doesn’t remember what happened. Alea found him and pushed the emergency call button on campus. He’s recovering and wants you to visit him tomorrow. He’ll only be in the hospital for a few days.”

Sam’s eyes widened. She fought to keep her mouth from dropping open any wider than it already had. Would anyone really believe this? Did Chase really believe this? He was right next to her when they were attacked—and it was not a drug dealer—it wasn’t even human.

Then she remembered about Evrik’s ability. He could make anyone, except for her, believe whatever he wanted. It was quite convenient if you had a secret to keep.

“And the others?” she asked.

“They’re fine. Alea’s keeping an eye on Chase over at the hospital. Malachi just called. He and Draylan followed the Kavari back to a town just inside Pennsylvania. He’s going to call when he knows something. They would’ve killed him, but they wanted him to lead them back to his clan. This should provide us with more information, let us know how many of them there are and where they’re hiding out.”

“Next time you speak to Draylan, please let him know how grateful I am to him for saving our lives.” Draylan was the last person she’d expected to come to their rescue, but he did, and she would forever be thankful that he’d saved Chase’s life.

“He knows. He was there to protect you.” Evrik focused on the plush brown blanket he’d thrown down to buffer the hardwood floor beneath them. The fire flickered just a foot away. 

“Are you okay?” Sam asked. 

“I should have been there to protect you.” He looked away, and then returned to meet her eyes. “Saturday night, after we talked, I didn’t leave you. Instead of going home, I stayed in the forest outside of your window. I stayed with you all day Sunday and into Sunday night to make sure you were safe. Alea came to find me Monday morning. She told me I had to get some rest and eat something.” He broke his stare, watching the embers flare red and dance in the fireplace. “I shouldn’t have listened to her.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Evrik,” Sam said, maybe a bit harsher than she’d intended. “How long did you think you could go without eating or sleeping? Alea was right. Without rest and food, you wouldn’t have had the strength to fight them. You can’t hold this burden alone.”

“You're not a burden,” he said. “Draylan volunteered to keep an eye on you during the football game. He called me when he saw the Kavari in the woods.”

Draylan volunteered? The universe had to be out of whack. Maybe some planet was out of alignment. Evrik had said they were a loyal race and would do anything for each other. Sam was sure Draylan had only protected her for Evrik and not because he cared about her survival. It didn’t matter. Either way, she was still grateful.

Evrik didn’t say another word. He moved the logs around with the metal poker; the flames shot up the chimney.

“Speaking of Draylan,” she said. “Is he telekinetic? He took out the Kavari without even touching them.”

“Draylan has the ability to move things with his mind. He used his telekinetic ability against the Kavari this evening. Draylan’s gift is very useful in battle. The Kavari leader would love to have it.”

Sam inched closer to Evrik. Even though she was safe now, she couldn’t shake the fear she’d felt earlier.

“How are your hands?” Evrik gently took Sam’s hands in his, lightly running the tips of his fingers over the bandages.

“They sting a little, but they’ll heal.” The color of Evrik’s skin appeared deeper in the reflection of the fire. Removing her hands from his, Sam reached up to touch his face.

Evrik ran his hands up her thighs, pausing at the small of her back. Sam’s heartbeat quickened. He lifted her up, bringing Sam closer to him. Evrik’s large arms wrapped around her and they leaned into each other. His lips were soft and warm. Sam let him comfort her, losing herself in the security of his embrace. Then they made love for the first time.