Leif (Existence) (14 page)

“I
gotta
go Mom. Love
ya
,” I called out heading for the door. I didn’t want to listen to her lecture me on being more concerned about the fact Leif had run away.

             
“It’s almost time”

I stopped and stood frozen on the front steps of the house. My hand reached out and gripped the cold iron railing. I knew that voice.

“Pagan.” Dank was in front of me instantly. Lifting my eyes to meet his I shook my head to clear it.

“Did you… did you see anyone or …um, anything?” I stumbled through my words, still reeling from the voice spoken directly in my ear.

The blue color in
Dank’s
eyes went from their normal brilliant blue to flickering

orbs
.

“Pagan, your eyes,” he reached out and cupped my face with his hands as he studied me. Death wasn’t supposed to fear anything; yet I could see it in every crease of his frown. The fact that his eyes looked like blue flames meant something.

“What about my eyes?” I asked in a panicked whisper
.

Dank pulled me up against him tightly, “Come on, we’re going.”
I let him all but carry me to the Jeep and even put me inside and buckle me up. “Dank, tell me what’s wrong,” I pleaded as he kissed me softly on the lips.

“Nothing. Nothing that I can’t fix,” he assured me and pressed his forehead to
mine. “Listen to me Pagan, you have no reason to worry. I’ve got this. Remember what I told you. What Death protects can’t be harmed and baby,” the pad of his thumb caressed my cheek, “you’re the only thing I protect.”

The shivers I never seemed to be able to control when his voice dropped an octave and went all smooth and sexy seemed to make him happy. He always gave me a sexy smirk when I shivered.”

“Okay, but I heard a voice.
In my ear.
Like when you talk to me but you’re far

Dank tensed and he took a deep breath. “You did?”

I nodded and watched as he closed his eyes tightly and an angry snarl vibrated against his chest.

“No one gets that close to you. No
thing
gets that close to you.” He kissed the tip of my nose and then closed the door before appearing in the driver’s seat beside me. I sure hoped he wasn’t so otherwise occupied that he wasn’t paying attention to what my mother was doing. If she was looking out the window just now then things could get complicated.

“She’s already closed off in her room writing,” Dank said as he cranked the Jeep and pulled out onto the road. I didn’t ask how he knew what I was thinking. I was used to this by
now. I couldn’t worry about anything without him knowing. He was obsessed with fixing all my problems. Normally that would frustrate me but right now with the problems I had looming I needed him.

“What did the voice say?” His voice was tense and I could tell he was trying to control the angry hiss that amused me when it was brought on because of jealousy. Right now it wasn’t amusing.
At all.

“It’s almost time,” I replied, studying his reaction. His left hand tightened on the steering wheel as he reached over and rested his hand on my thigh.

“I’ll have this handled immediately. I didn’t see anything but I felt it. The moment you froze, I felt it. It isn’t a soul. It isn’t a deity. It is nothing that I’m familiar with but that leaves only a few things it can be. And I promise you Pagan that not one of those things is a match for me. So stop worrying. I’m Death, baby. Remember that.”

I let out a sigh and covered his hand with mine
.

“I know,” I replied and began tracing hearts on his hand with the tip of my finger. “I missed you last night,” he whispered in a husky voice
.

I smiled down at his hands as he flipped it over and clasped mine in his. I liked
knowing he missed me. “Good.”

An amused chuckle was his response.