Men of the Cave (Symbol of Hope Series) (18 page)

“Max, if you could turn back the hands of time, knowing what you know now. Would you have allowed yourself to love Cyra?”

His face became blank as if he was mentally reminiscing. Then he half smirked and nodded.

“I would take a thousand years of suffering again for even one day, one kiss, of hers.” And with that, he left the room.

It must be hard for him to have such control, such discipline of his emotions. Even though sometimes he seemed callous toward his brothers, I saw why they all admired him and allowed him to be their father figure. He was young, merely twenty-five, when God robbed him of his human life, but Max exemplified the wisdom much like that of an elder.

I couldn’t help to think of what was to become of Dion and me. I would continue to age and then one day pass on to the next stage. That would never happen to him. I wondered if two soul mates agonized for each other until the day they were able to be together. Was Cyra longing for her Max wherever her spirit resided? I must accept destiny for what it is. I needed to believe that fate had a plan a reason for what it did. I could not think of the suffering Dion would endure when I passed, or I would never fully embrace the love intended for us. Exhausted, I fell into a heavy sleepy state.

I awoke from my sleep, and it seemed like years passed. Dion sat in a chair watching me. I smiled.

“Hello beautiful.” He reciprocated my smile.

“What time is it?”

“It is ten o’clock in the evening,” he replied.

“Hmmm…” I stretched. My neck was still stiff, “It’s so late.”

I sat up.  I realized gravity allowed my clothing to fall downward. Immediately I placed my hand over my breasts, holding in place my tank top and sports bra. Shredded and bloodied, my white tank hardly covered me. I noticed the cold chill on my bare back. Shocked by these revelations I asked, “What happened to my top?”

Dion, whose facial expression illustrated that he was enjoying the fact I was half-topless, explained, “Max cut it off in order to properly work on your spine.”

Goosebumps spread through my skin. I shuttered at the thought.

“Did he have to cut me open?”

“Wide open.” Dion grinned.

I sighed. “Gross. Why couldn’t he just touch me and heal?”

“Kasey, this is not Hollywood. It does not work quite like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“In order for Max to heal a body part he must physically touch that body part. If a bone is broken he must touch that bone so that the bone can begin to heal, then he heals the muscle, then the skin. If it is an organ he must place his hand on the organ.”

“I can’t believe I don’t feel a thing other than sore.” I said dumbfounded.

“He has an amazing gift,” Dion said.

Looking down I flushed. Embarrassed I asked, “Did everyone see me like this?”

He smiled big, “Yes, but you were always properly covered up. I promise.”

That didn’t make me feel any better about his brothers seeing me so bare. He stood and walked over to me. I’d never seen him look so unkempt, his hair disheveled and messy. He looked adorable in his tight black tee shirt with faded ripped jeans. He came and stood by my side. I lifted my shirt a tad higher, due to my awkward state. I didn’t look at him. He took his hand and softly caressed my forearm up to my bare shoulder. Then he took his thumb and with a feather touch, passed it across my shoulder blade, down the middle of my back outlining my spine. He stopped at the very bottom of my lower back. A tingly sensation traveled through parts of my body and my skin filled itself with goose bumps. He reached down and kissed the lower part of the back of my neck. I let out a heavy breath.

“My sincerest apologies for what my brothers did to you,” he said in a soft voice.

 “You don’t have to apologize for your brothers actions.”

“Still, I should have been there to protect you.”

“You saved my life. You did protect me.” I looked at him with a kind smile. He leaned down and kissed me lightly. I let his hand explore all of my back as our lips continued a rhythmic dance. With his other hand, he caressed the opposite shoulder. For a split second, I thought about letting the hand on my chest let go of the clothing it was holding up. Before I could act on the thought, he stopped and stepped back.

“Here, I took a tee shirt from John for you to wear.” He placed a burgundy tee shirt in my lap.

 “Oh, thank you.”

I must have been overly eager in my thank you, because he chuckled.

“I will turn around so you can change.” He then walked back toward the chair and faced the wall.

The tee shirt had a big recycling triangle in the middle. Inside the triangle was a river with fish in it.  After I finished I said. “Okay I’m good, interesting shirt.”

“Sorry, John grabbed it,” he said taking no blame in the matter.

I got off the exam table slow and steady. Even though I felt fine, I was somewhat freaked about the medical procedure I underwent.  Dion came over to me at once. He must have thought the same, unsure how I would do on my feet. I grabbed hold of his arm and steadied myself for a second.

“I’m okay,” I said letting go and stepped forward. I twisted and turned my upper body in a stretch. My spine cracked several times. As I passed the sink, I took a quick glance at my reflection. It mortified me. “Oh, God. I look horrible.”

I rubbed my cheeks for they were unusually pale. I pulled out my band that held an un-kept ponytail. I let my hair fall loose.

“You look like you fell off a cliff today, but otherwise still beautiful,” Dion said putting his hand on my back and kissing my head. He placed a large grey coat over my shoulders.

Dion locked up the clinic for Max and we headed for his house. The night was dreadfully wintry. Always a Florida girl, the forty-degree night air sent a chill down to every bone in my body. He cranked the heat in his car for me. Winter was on its way. As we walked into his gorgeous art-deco mansion, the aroma of something delicious traveled right to the core of my stomach. It rumbled loudly and shocked me.

“Hungry?” he asked amused.

“I think I am.” I headed for the kitchen.

John, Martin, and Antony were in the kitchen. The twins munched on some Empanadas. Antony ate a salad.

“Kasey, you have come back from the dead!” John came over and gave me a great big bear hug and kiss on the cheek. Then Antony and Martin also greeted me with kisses on my cheek.

“I can’t thank you guys enough for all you did.”

“You do not have to mention it,” Antony said.

“No worries it is part of the day job,” John beamed.

Dion and I sat down and grabbed two brown crispy Empanadas. Before I picked mine to bite into it Antony offered, “Kasey I made enough salad for two if you would like that instead. It is southwest so it has spicy beans and peppers.”

“Oh, that sounds much better. Thank you Antony.” He was strange, but kind, and down to earth. Dion grabbed my empanada and placed it on his plate. Antony proceeded to prepare me a plate of salad. Layna entered the room with her casual stride. She placed herself at Antony’s feet.

“Did Sam ever resurface?” I remembered the tiger in the forest.

“Martin and John received a vision of him leaving Deia and in his condo in Palma, but when we went there he was gone,” Antony answered.

“Do you think he’ll be back?” I worried.

“Oh, he will return, but I do not think before the winter solstice,” Dion said.

“Where’s Max?” I asked noting that we were a brother short.

“He and James have been privately talking for the past three hours,” Martin answered.

“If he is confessing then they will be in there for the next three months,” John said hypercritical.

“Do you think we can trust him?” I asked doubtful.

At that moment, Max and James entered the room.

“I think we can. He is a Kleon brother and welcome here.” Max put his arm around James approvingly. I swallowed; embarrassed that he heard my question.

“I am sorry, Kasey, for everything. I never meant to hurt you. We wanted to scare you off. I truly am sorry,” James said attempting to be humble.

I nodded, but looked away, remembering how he pressed me against that tree.

Dion spoke grimly. “I am not ready to forget.”

James shook his head. “I understand. When the time is right then.”

“Kasey, how does your spine feel?” Max approached me. His hand glowed as he scanned my back. I couldn’t look at his face. My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“I feel fine, thanks.” I sputtered quickly.

“What about Sam? What is his plan?” asked Antony in a serious tone.

“Sam is not a terrible man. He is simply lost. I think in his mind he figures he is offering a form of salvation to his brothers. He does not want you to suffer this immortal life anymore.”

“What about him? Why does he not want death for himself? He suffers as much, if not more, than any of us?” John said sully.

“He figures there is no hope for him to ever have redemption, so immortality is the best choice he has.” James grabbed an empanada.

“Whatever happens, we will be ready,” Max said, ending that conversation. “James is going to stay here with us until he decides otherwise,” Max informed the clan.

Dion leaned into me, “Are you finished eating? I would like to show you something.”

I followed him out of the kitchen and into the hallway by the front door. He grabbed a black leather jacket from the closet, and helped me into it. He took locks of my hair from under the jacket and un-tucked my red curls. Only the tips of my fingers stuck out from the sleeves. Like a girl in her daddy’s jacket.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he put on his grey jacket.

“Up to see the stars.” He grabbed my sleeve and led me outside. Hidden from plain sight, behind tall bushes, a steel spiral black staircase led up to the house’s flat roof.

The tranquil air carried no breeze tonight. It was exceedingly frigid. Winter was moving into Spain and the island of Mallorca.

The leather jacket did a stellar job keeping the parts it covered warm. The flat roof was decent big in size with a ruble floor. A two-foot boarder wall, made up the edge. The black night sky lit up with what looked like a thousand little Christmas lights. The ghost colored moon was in its waxing gibbous stage. That meant that it would be at full the night of the winter solstice. In the middle of the roof, bolted to the floor, a telescope with a metal case covering stood in isolation. Dion went up to it and took the covering off.

“Is that a refractor telescope?” I asked as he looked through the lens. Raised with a mother whose hobby is to watch the constellations and planetary movements through the houses and signs of Astrology, I knew something about telescopes.

He popped up shocked and looked at me. “Why yes, yes it is. Oh Kasey,” he said excited, “you are most certain the woman for me.”

Laughing, I looked down the beautiful pool deck, all lit up. I stared out into the dark ocean in all its vastness. I reflected on my near death experience. I exhaled in mere gratitude that I was still breathing. If my human existence ended today, I’d be stuck as an unfinished ghost. The thought of spending an eternity regretting something I should have done a long time ago disrupted the pit of my stomach. It is time.

“Are you ready?” Dion looked through the lens of the telescope and fidgeted with the knobs and focus.

“Sure,” I walked towards him. “What are we looking at?”

He stepped aside and let me look through the lens. I felt his warm embrace cuddle up behind me as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled his body close to mine.

“It is Jupiter’s four moons, the Galilean moons.” His voice took on a childlike enthusiasm.

The planet looked like one of those bottles layered with colored sand. “I see the red spot!” I said, elated.

He laughed amused.

“What would you like to look at next?” he asked.

“What would you say to the sun?” I asked subtlety.

“Are you sure?” He replied.

I moved my head back and rested it on his chest. He leaned his head down to look through the lens. Our cheeks grazed and I could feel his warmth so close to me.

“Dion,” I said, looking up, “I love you. With every breath I take, I love you.”

He didn’t look up from his telescope. He slyly smiled.

“You knew it was coming didn’t you?” I accused.

He looked down and chuckled, then he looked at me, “It did not make the moment any less special to me.” He kissed my cold cheek with his cold lips.

I laughed.

“Kasey,” his face grew tight his eyes avoided mine, “would you like to spend the night?”

I couldn’t believe he asked this of me.

“After everything that happened today I wish to hold you forever. Since forever is an unreasonable request. I would settle for at least until tomorrow.” He gave me his sweet, alluring smile.

“There is nothing more I would love tonight, than to fall asleep in your arms.” I replied.

He smiled and leaned in for an affectionate kiss. After a moment, he backed up.

“I promise to be a complete gentleman, but you must behave yourself.”

“Of course I will behave myself. I’m not a hussy or anything like that.”

“No, no, of course not. I did not mean it like that. It is that, well, you are more liberal on the matter.”

“Dion, you don’t have to worry. I got the message loud and clear. We will not be having sex any time soon.”

“Kasey!” I didn’t need the sun’s light to know he blushed. The subject made him uncomfortable.

“What? I’m not going to seduce you. I’m okay with you just holding me.”

He shook his head. “Here, look at the moon.”

I smiled and looked through the lens.

After I could no longer stand the cold weather, we went back inside.  As we headed up the stairs, John ran in from the kitchen.

“Brother, a quick minute…” He stopped, surprised to see me, “Oh Kasey, you are still here. No bother then. I shall leave you two alone.”

Dion smiled at me, “What did you want?”

“Only if you are not occupied, could you go to Italy for some ice cream?” John batted his eyes in a pleading effort.