No Light (18 page)

             
She stared at her plate with wide eyes, but shook her head. "No, it's fine." She saw him grin from the corner of her eye.

             
"Syrup?"

             
"Please." She watched him hunt through the cabinets beside the stove.

             
"All I have is maple and strawberry."

             
"Maple, please."

             
"Maple, it is." He snatched it from the top shelf and turned to set it on the table between them.

             
"Thank you."

             
He smiled. "My pleasure."

             
She looked up from her plate at his warm tone, but he was focused on his plate. She watched him cut up his pancakes and add syrup. He glanced up and met her gaze.

             
"Is it good?"

             
She nodded and took a bite. His eyes dropped to her mouth. He looked away.

             
"What would you like to do today? We could go see a movie or maybe, go shopping." He raised his eyebrows.

             
Sarah laughed. "Are you making fun of me?"

             
He smirked. "I would never. Especially, when you look so damn cute in those clothes." He snapped his mouth closed.

             
She stared at him. Her mind inexplicably brought up a picture of Farran. She imagined the same words from him and her face flamed. She dropped her attention back to her plate.

             
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you," Luke apologized.

             
She smiled. "I'm not offended." She paused to wipe her mouth on her napkin. "I would like to buy some new clothes, but with my suspension..." She frowned down at the table.

             
"I insist you let me buy you a few things."

             
She looked at him in surprise. "I didn't mean-"

             
"I know that, but you are a guest. It's my responsibility to make sure you have what you need." He pushed his plate away. "While you're staying with me, anyway."

             
She studied his earnest expression. "If it's no trouble."

             
"It's not."

...

              His blunt nails scrapped against the front of his suit, as if he could dig the pain out. His jaw ached from trying to keep himself quiet. The pain increased each time it came. At the beginning, it had been the surprise that made it seem so painful. After a day, each wave felt like it would rip his insides out. It never stopped.

             
The first day, the waves would ebb and flow. A day later, the waves were mere minutes apart and there was no relief in between. He cursed himself for what his clouded mind told him must be the thousandth time. That girl was responsible for this. At the thought, the pain crest over him again.

             
His head rolled to face the bars of his cell. Tradis paused, as he passed and stared at him. Farran watched his eyes darken. He shook his head. Tradis visibly sighed, but nodded. Farran watched him cross the front of his cell. He vanished in the direction of the Main Hall with his handler in tow.

             
Farran rolled over onto his back. It did not relieve the pain, but it eased slightly. He glared at the ceiling. That stupid girl was the cause of all this. The pain spiked. He bit back a curse. It had taken him eighteen hours to evaluate his symptoms and determine the cause. His frustration at himself added to his anger.

             
It had been so long since anyone had marked a human, he had not recognized the symptoms. He raised his head off the sleeping shelf a couple inches and let it fall. Of all the humans he had contact with in six thousand years, his ator would choose the most pathetic weakling to mark. The pain spiked and he let out a string of curses.

             
"A'kar, teo, lat keim!"

             
He collapsed against the stone. His mind continued to think of the tiny human. She carried a part of his ator within her. He smirked slightly. He pictured the way she looked with his ator swirling under her skin. The pain faded. His eyebrows raised. He shoved himself into a sitting position.

             
"T'ak an si abad," he muttered to himself.

             
It could not be that easy. He imagined the feel of her small body in his arms. The feel of her skin under his hands. The pain retreated to a dull ache. He scowled. It was that easy. In his mind's eye, he lifted her hair in his hands. He closed his eyes and remembered her scent. She always smelled like the seasons.

             
He could clearly smell winter when she was afraid. Her shyness and confusion were like spring. He had caught the spice of autumn once. When he stripped off his shirt in the shower room, she had smelled faintly of autumn leaves and pumpkin spice. He tilted his head. The pain faded until it was barely noticeable.

             
The overhead lights flickered and his eyes popped open. He glanced toward the bars of his cell. In the back of his mind, he continued to speculate about the scent of summer.

Chapter Ten

Blessed Bones

             
"Your boyfriend seems like a sweetheart."

             
Sarah's head snapped up. She glanced at the store clerk in confusion. The young woman gestured toward the doorway of the dressing room.

             
"The guy sitting outside." She raised an eyebrow.

             
Sarah frowned. "He's just a friend."

             
"Really? Because he's been giving you some eyes, if you know what I mean."

             
Sarah glanced toward the doorway. "He works with me. We're just friends."

             
"Well, alright then, honey. I was just sayin'." She slipped a slinky dress off of a hangar. "No man I know would drop this kind of cash unless it was an investment."

             
A knot began to form in her stomach. "I don't think of him that way." She took the dress and slipped it on over the newly purchased under things.

             
"Oh, nice!" The woman stepped back a few feet to stare at her. "Spin."

             
Sarah turned in a slow circle. "I'm not sure why I would need a dress like this," she muttered, sliding her hands over the fabric.

             
The soft jersey draped her form, flowing over the small curves like water.

             
"It's very flattering. I was worried we may need a belt." The woman reached out to smooth the dress around Sarah's waist. "But, I think this fabric blend has enough stretch to it."

             
Sarah glanced in the mirror. "Are you sure red is a good idea?"

             
"Of course! With that beautiful hair, all you need is some light makeup."

             
Sarah frowned at her reflection. "You don't think it's too short?" She relaxed her arms at her sides. Her fingertips brushed the hemline.

             
"It's mid-thigh, honey. I'd almost call it closer to knee length. You're hardly being risqué."

             
Sarah turned her back to the mirror and glanced over her shoulder. Her pale back peeked through the crisscrossing straps. "I'm not sure about this."

             
"You have to at least let him see it."

             
Sarah let the woman drag her from the dressing room and thrust her in front of Luke. She cringed, but forced a smile.

             
"Wow."

             
She stared at him. He did not seem to realize he had spoken aloud. She glanced at the store clerk. The woman winked at her.

             
"I told you he would like it."

             
Sarah held back a scowl. She watched Luke's stunned face, for any idea of what he was thinking. He slowly stood from the chair and circled her. She shifted, as his fingertips skimmed her bare back. Her eyes narrowed.

             
"What do you think?" she asked, stepping away.

             
"You look beautiful, Sarah."

             
She turned her head to look at him. His slow smile made the knot in her stomach tighten painfully. She rubbed at her arm, as her skin began to tingle.

             
"I mean the dress," she clarified.

             
He took a step toward her. "It's fine. I imagine you would look beautiful in anything."

             
She looked up at his tone. His proximity made the tingle in her skin increase to an itch. She took a step back.

             
"I'm glad you like it." She forced a small smile.

             
He nodded. "I do. We should go somewhere nice for dinner." He trailed his fingertips over her shoulder. "I'll see what I can arrange."

             
She fought not to scowl at the contact. "I'll go change." She whirled away and hurried back to the dressing room. She felt his gaze on her until she passed through the doorway.

             
"Didn't I tell you he'd like it?"

             
She glanced over her shoulder to look at the clerk. She sighed. "Yes."

             
"It's a great feeling, right? I mean, if my man looked at me like that..." she fanned herself.

             
Sarah clenched her jaw. "He's not my man."

             
The clerked frowned at her. "I thought you were just being modest, but you're serious." She shook her head. "Well, honey, if you're going to pass up a man like that, you must have someone really special in mind."

             
Sarah froze. "What?"

             
The woman smirked. "It's obvious. If you're that adamant, you've already got your eye on another prize."

             
Sarah's eyes widened.

             
The woman looked up from the clothes she was folding and giggled. "You should see your face." She shook her head. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

             
Sarah blinked at her. Mind spinning over the woman's words, she did not say anything else as she changed back into her borrowed t-shirt and jeans. She watched the clerk gather the clothes in her arms.

             
The woman glanced at her. "Don't frown. You'll get wrinkles."

             
It startled a laugh out of her.

             
"I'm just going to get rid of these. Your clothes will be at the counter."

             
Sarah smiled. She slipped on her coat and squared her shoulders.

             
"I made reservations," Luke said, the second she stepped out of the dressing room.               "Maretti's. It's Italian." She felt him watching her for her reaction.

             
"That sounds nice." She looked away from his intense stare. "Thank you."

             
"My pleasure."

...

              She smoothed the dress down over her hips. The fabric clung to her no matter how much she tugged on it. She sighed. Her eyes scanned her figure in the mirror. The vivid crimson of the dress made her skin seem even more pale than usual. She pursed her lips and tugged at the hemline.

             
"Sarah? We should probably leave soon," Luke called through the bedroom door.

             
She gave her reflection another glance and sighed. "I'm ready."

             
She carefully walked to the door in the heels the clerk had slipped into her purchases. They pinched her toes.

             
Luke grinned at her. "You look nice."

             
She forced a smile. "Thank you. You look nice, too."

             
He beamed. "Are you ready?"

             
"I think so. I'm not very steady in these shoes..." She watched his gaze sweep down her body slowly.

             
"Hmmm. It would be a shame to change them, though." His eyes found hers, and he held his arm out. "You can lean on me."

             
She hesitated.

             
"Are you okay?"

             
"Yes. I'm sorry. I was just thinking, that's all."

             
"Oh." He looked relieved.

             
The doorbell chimed in the foyer. He glanced down the hall, a perplexed scowl on his face.

             
"I'm not expecting anyone." He shook his head and smiled at her. "Can you make it to the door without me?"

             
"Yes." She slipped off the uncomfortable shoes, as soon as he was out of sight. She grabbed them in one hand and tip-toed down the hall after him.

             
"...not the time," Luke muttered.

             
She peeked around the corner. Luke leaned against the edge of the door, his body blocking her view of the other speaker.

             
"...and he knows it was her."

             
Sarah frowned. The voice was familiar. She leaned forward to try to make out more of the quiet conversation.

             
"I don't know what you want me to do about it," Luke whispered back furiously.

             
She inched forward.

             
"We've got company," the other person suddenly stated.

             
Luke's head whipped around and he stared at her. His expression switched from surprise to guilt. He looked away.

             
"Hello, Handler Mackenzie." Keane stepped into the house without waiting for an invitation. He swept her body with an appreciative eye. "Look who cleans up well. Seems a pity."

             
A heavy wave of revulsion swept through her at his expression. She crossed her arms.

             
Keane ignored her silence. "I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here." He raised his eyebrows. "I can just see that mind of yours spinning."

             
Her eyes moved from him to Luke. He did not meet her gaze.

             
"You've been very busy these past few days," he continued, pushing the front door closed behind him. "First, there was that slip up in the cafeteria."

             
Sarah frowned.

             
"Do you know why we don't call the Dems by their given names?" He shrugged off his coat and tossed it to Luke.

             
He fumbled to grab it before it hit the floor. His eyes rose to hers, before he turned his head.

             
At her silence, Keane continued. "It keeps things in perspective. It keeps them in their place."

             
"And what place is that?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

             
He smiled, as if he expected her outburst. "Above dirt, and just below contempt."

             
She stiffened. "You're wrong."

             
Luke's gaze flew to her. She felt his eyes on her like a weight. She refused to look at him.

             
"I thought you may say that," Keane said. His lips curved into a cold smile. "Which brings me back to your recent activities. The visit to the library."

             
She stared at him silently.

             
"Nothing to say? What about the book you stole and stuffed under your pillow?"

             
She cringed.

             
"And that digging at City Hall? Putting your family in danger, because of your curiosity. It's very selfish."

             
She started to crumble, when her mind snagged on something he said. Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know where I put the book?"

             
His smile widened. "You know, I have to admit, I was surprised to see it. With all the time your sniveling brother spent at Bill's house, I had assumed the book burnt up in the fire. Imagine my surprise to find it under your pillow, safe and sound."

             
She glared at him. "Don't insult my brother."

             
He smirked. "Or what?" His gaze slid to Luke. "Oh, maybe you think Williams is going to come to your aid. Is that it?"

             
She glanced at Luke. He carefully avoided her gaze.

             
"Sorry, to be the bearer of bad news, but you're getting no help from him. In fact, why don't you ask him how his mother, my sister, is doing? Go ahead. I'll wait." Satisfaction dripped from his tone.

             
"You're his uncle? Of course," she muttered to herself. "The note at the hospital." She glared at Luke. "But, why didn't you tell me when I started? Or all those times you warned me about him?"

             
"There was never a good time," Luke answered quietly.

             
"I told him not to tell you."

             
She tore her eyes away from Luke's bowed head to look at Keane. "Why? Was he supposed to spy on me?"

             
Luke flinched at her tone.

             
"In a manner of speaking," Keane answered. He took a step toward her. "At first, I told him to just watch you. Make sure you didn't follow in your family's accident prone footsteps. Especially, after that fiasco with your brother. What a tragedy."