Oracle Rising (29 page)

It was like a fairytale. Here the knight was claiming the pure princess. She was his. She was his prize after years of hard fought war.

“Nathaniel,” she whispered, as if it were some incantation.

“Avalon,” he responded. “Alpha and Omega,” he added, when her banded fingers touched the tattoo on his chest.

“The beginning and the end,” she whispered, never looking away from his eyes.

It pushed him to the edge of the precipice.

“Come with me,” he begged, as her body milked Nate’s to his impending release.

“Yes!” she shouted, rupturing apart.

The colors swirled, the snowflakes whipped around them, and they fell.

Together.

As the afterglow faded, and they both surfaced, they were nestled under a tree in lush grass. Red flowers bloomed around them, a symbol of their love.

“Avalon?” he whispered, his head resting on her breast.

“Hmmm?”

“Tell me about the wedding of your dreams. I want to make it come true.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“Nathaniel, it’s simple. I just want you waiting for me at the end of the aisle. I just want to hear you say ‘I do’. That’s my greatest dream.”

He lifted his head to gaze down into her eyes. “Then that’s what you’ll have, and soon.”

She didn't doubt it.

Nathaniel Carter was a man of his word.

He was on a mission to claim her heart.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

He was tired of waiting, but he had no choice.

When the other vehicle pulled up, and that man was wearing a gun on his hip too, he knew he was screwed.

There were more Feds in the neighborhood, and he needed to take care of it.

Moving as close to the cabin as he could, he checked out the brunette getting out of the vehicle. She looked sweet, yummy, and like someone he’d like to see on her knees.

Then he noticed the ring on her finger, and the way the man took her hand in his.

Shit!

A couple.

Yeah, he was going to have to stick to the original plan. He had the players in this game, and he wouldn’t deviate. That would get him caught.

But still…she would have been fun.

He needed to get closer. So he could study them. If you were going to learn about your enemy, it meant taking a risk.

So, creeping out of the woods, he decided to get their attention.

And he knew just how.

       
                
* * *
  O R A C L E   * * *

Friday Morning

When Nate woke, he could pick up the lingering scent of Avalon’s perfume. They were exactly the way they’d fallen asleep. She was pressed to his body, nestled against his chest.

It gave him a warm feeling as he gazed down at her.

This was perfection.

After last night’s dream, Nate could still visualize the ring that Avalon had wanted. As soon as he could get a few moments today, he was going to make some calls.

If he got busy, maybe his sister wouldn’t mind helping him out. When they got back to Fire Bay, he wanted her ring to be waiting for her.

In all honesty, Nate craved seeing it on her finger. It was his obsession to make it happen. It was just one more way he could claim the woman beside him. She’d already given him her heart, soul, and body, and now he craved the last piece to the puzzle.

He wanted her future.

Sliding out of bed, he was careful not to wake her. Nate knew that after dream walking, she tended to be exhausted. So, he’d let her sleep. He could smell coffee, and he wanted some of that action. Pulling on a t-shirt and his shorts, he slipped on his sneakers. After his caffeine hit, he was going to take a run. He needed to keep his forty one year old body in shape—especially since he was going to have a younger wife.

It made him grin like an idiot.

It was funny how he went from desolation to bliss in a matter of weeks.

Heading to her side of the bed, Nate tucked her in and left a kiss on her forehead. “I love you,” he whispered.

When she didn't move, he left her to rest.

In the hallway, the alluring scent of coffee called to him. While the place was silent, he could hear talking in the kitchen.

It was odd.

Jagger’s and Juliett’s doors were closed. They were still asleep. Then who the hell was in the kitchen?

Entering the small space, he grinned wickedly.

It was Luke and Maura, and they were sitting at the table drinking coffee.

“Well, if this isn't a surprise. What the hell are you doing here?” he asked.

Maura glanced over. “It seems someone didn't notify the whole team that there was a mission.”

Once a Marine, always a Marine.

Maura was their resident planner and control freak, and not even marriage was going to mellow her out.

“Well, that might be because you were on your honeymoon, Maura.”

“We would have come. We’re all in this together,” she reminded him.

Luke grinned, knowing that the two would just go around and around in circles over this. “I missed you, Nate.”

The men embraced.

“Ditto, Luke. You look all tan and rested.”

“I’m exhausted. She nearly killed me.”

Maura sipped from her cup. “There’s still time if you plan on talking sex while I’m in the room. I can guarantee it will be painful, and not the good kind you like.”

Nate grinned. Leaning down, he kissed the woman on the cheek. She was part of his family since the day her brother married his sister.

“I missed you too, Major.”

“Where is everyone? It’s nearly seven.”

“Sleeping.”

“What? There’s a case. Everyone should be up and moving around. There’s work to do.”

“Yeah, well, apparently the boss was away,” Nate said, snagging a coffee and one of the donuts from the box on the table. It looked like a run was out of the question. He’d have to burn off this cholesterol later, and he knew with who.

“Is Jagger on patrol?” she asked.

“No. Like I said, he’s sleeping.”

She stared at him. “What? I go away for two weeks, and you managed to make a hardcore Marine go soft. He was on a super team for the military, and he knows better.”

“Well the hooker I ordered him last night must have worn him down,” Nate teased.

She sputtered.

Luke laughed. He knew that while they were away, his woman was bored out of her mind. If she wasn’t bossing men around, she didn't know what to do with herself.

“Let’s face the facts, Maura, he has to sleep some time. He was up late last night. He’s probably only been asleep for three hours. We were running this case with only two investigators. He was doing double duty. The man has to sleep sometime.”

“For the record, I’ve seen him go four days straight.”

“Hey! That’s what the hooker said.”

“Jesus,” she muttered, closing her eyes. “Nathaniel, someone should be up monitoring the perimeter,” Maura said, glaring at Nate like he’d lost his mind. “Jagger knows better.”

“Again, he needed to sleep.”

“Again, Marines don’t sleep—they nap.”

“She’s got a point,” Luke said, grinning at his wife. “She’s barely out for more than two hours in a clip.”

Nate wasn’t going to argue.

“Why weren’t you out on patrol?” she asked.

“Uh, I don’t know if you realize this or not, but I was the only one investigating this. I was missing my partner.”

“I knew you missed me,” Luke stated. “Bro, I missed you too. It’s nice to be back in the saddle. You had to be lonely without me at your side.”

“Well, I did get the sheriff to help,” Nate corrected, trying to keep Luke’s ego under control.

“You were cheating on me with a local cop?” Luke said, looking horrified. “After only two weeks of me being away?”

Nate assumed he was busting his balls. It was a Luke thing to do.

“I didn't have a choice. He found us, and I had to let him in on this.”

“Was he thoroughly vetted?” Maura asked. “You can’t have a stranger around Oracle.”

He stopped her right there.

“Avalon. Oracle is her past, and she’s not going to be called that, even in passing. As of last night, I’ve laid down the law about that.”

Maura stood. “I see.”

Nate would go to battle for the woman he loved. “It’s been hurting her. We all have been. She was freed from one cage and placed in another. That’s not how she wants to live, so you’re going to have to let it go.”

This was where it could get ugly.

Maura was all about duty and her country. If you cut her, Nate was pretty sure she’d bleed a flag.

He waited for her to tell him off.

“Okay. I can do that. I love Avalon. I don’t want to see her get hurt. In fact, I have presents for her and you.”

“Yeah, a blue Hawaiian shirt and a dress to match. That might draw attention here in Crosspointe, so we’ll have to wear them when we get home.”

They both stared at him.

“How did you know?” Luke asked.

He laughed now that the tension was gone. “Avalon warned me. You know there isn’t a surprise when she’s around.”

She was aware.

“Okay, what else did I miss?”

“We got engaged last night.”

Both of them stared at him.

“What?” they said together.

“Yep. I took her for ice cream and proposed in the middle of a crowd. Right in front of those hardened killer criminals, I dropped to my knees and asked her to be my wife. It was risky, with all those maniac kids.”

Maura got the point.

“Har har. You’re as bad as him,” she said, jerking her thumb at Luke.

“Congrats,” Luke said, hugging him again. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks. How about you, Maura? Are you happy for us too?” he asked. Nate knew there was tension between them when it came to Avalon. She wanted to keep her safe, and so did Nate, but they had different styles, and motives.

While both were done in love, but his was so much deeper.

“You know I am. I’ll help her plan the wedding.” Maura hugged him. “Congrats, Nate. You’re getting a great girl.”

He was aware.

“I want her to have whatever she wants. If she wants to get married on the lip of a volcano, just make it happen. Spare no expense. I know she won’t have family there, but we will.”

“We are her family,” Maura stated. “She’s marrying into the clan. She’s going to get more parents, siblings, and kids than she’s going to know what to do with. My brothers will make sure she’s under lock and key.”

Nate smiled. “I know. That’s the best part. I’m going to give her my name, and some family to go along with it.”

“Yeah, if she takes your name,” Luke warned. “I had to beat her at an obstacle course on a Marine base to get Maura to hyphenate our names.”

She laughed. “I let you win.”

He growled, trying to grab her.

Nate was about to make a comment when he heard it from the driveway.

The Hummer’s alarm was screaming.

Nate grabbed the gun off Maura’s hip and pointed at the room. “My sidearm is in there. Go keep Avalon safe.”

She didn't hesitate.

Maura rushed from the room, back on duty.

Nate and Luke hit the door running. They slid to a stop at the side of the hummer. There, scratched into the paint was an ominous message.

                               ‘I see you.’

Well, it looked like their cover was blown, but he wasn’t quite sure how. They’d been careful to keep their badges and guns covered.

Luke hit the button on his keys. “Son of Bitch! I haven’t even gotten to drive her yet!”

Nate was about to offer some comfort when he saw a large murder of crows take off from the trees surrounding them.

“He’s in the woods!”