Painfully Ordinary Special Edition (7 page)

Obey
him?
Was he serious?

The landscape spun, nausea overtaking me as I fought to
remain conscious. Suddenly, the man in the smoke solidified and stepped through
the fire. All hell broke loose. People cheered and danced around the fire at
inhuman speed as if under a spell.

The stranger beckoned to me with one manicured finger. “You
must be Caitlin. I am Egan. I would have recognized you even without Ryan’s
description—you have your mother’s beauty. Our Ryan has told us so much about
you, and we have been so anxious to meet you.”

My
mother?
What did she have to do with all of this?

My necklace was scorching my skin. The stranger’s voice was
quiet and bordered on seductive. It sounded so familiar, like something I had
heard once in a dream. I was terrified and rooted to the spot, my entire body
shaking.

Ryan, who still had one arm around my waist in a vise grip,
towed me toward the unwelcome visitor, but suddenly I heard a rustling sound coming
from the tree line behind me to my right. As I struggled to look, a huge,
chestnut-colored wolf sprang from the foliage and stood between the stranger
and us. The wolf bared its incredibly sharp teeth at the man, growling deep in
its throat and watching with violet eyes.

I knew those eyes
.

The man took a couple steps back, and an unseen force tore me
away from Ryan. I didn’t know how much more I could take before I fainted.

The wolf was circling our group, especially Egan, who still
watched me with curious eyes. My vision blurred as I
was spun
around. Finding myself in the haven of Talon’s strong arms, I cried
uncontrollably with relief.

Talon swept my feet out from underneath me.

“Hold on,
Ves’tacha
,
we are going to move fast. Just close your eyes. I have you.” I squeezed my
eyes shut and held on
like
my life depended on it. As
he picked up speed, I was weightless. Next thing I knew, we were back at the clearing
where we left the vehicles, and I
was completely disoriented
.

Leah was already perched on a 4-wheeler. She watched the
clearing with frightened eyes and a tearstained face.

“Caiti!” she cried. “Where did you go? I couldn’t find you
anywhere. I thought you were right behind me.”

I turned my attention to Talon. “Where’s Jace? I thought I
saw…never mind.” I rubbed my temples. “My head hurts so much.”

He caressed my face with infinite tenderness. “He is on his
way. It will take him a moment to pull himself back together.” He held a finger
to his lips and his tone told me I was not to share anything else with Leah for
now.

Oh, if he was
telling me what I thought he was… and it was about Jace – I might throw up.

I heard the sound of rapid footsteps and screamed. Jace
trotted out of the woods, shirtless, and headed straight over to Leah, gathering
her in his arms and giving her a kiss.

Talon put me down gently on the seat of the 4-wheeler. “Hang
on. We are going to need to move fast.”

Jace asked Talon.
“Sanctuary?”

Talon nodded, and his shoulders sagged. “I see no other
choice.”

Jace revved the throttle and peeled out.

“Wait!” I cried. “What is Sanctuary?
What
about my mom?
She’s going to freak if I don’t get home soon.”

Talon took my face in his hands. “We can get a message to
her. Please, you have to trust me to keep you safe.”

I could only nod, as the tears flowed again. As smoke from
the bonfire crept out of the woods like fingers and headed toward our small
clearing, Talon revved the engine and took off.

We sped through the trees and over hills, moving in the
opposite direction from where we had parked the Jeep. I squeezed my eyes shut
so tightly that I saw stars behind my lids before we finally shuddered to a
stop.

“Caiti!”
Leah ran to grab me in a hug, tears streaming down her
face. “Are you okay?
You were right behind me one minute, and
when I turned back around
,
you had disappeared
.
I was so worried about you.”

I whispered one word, “Ryan.”

Leah narrowed her eyes, and I heard Talon clench his teeth
together with an audible snap.

“Talon, all is ready.”

Jace stood next to their Challenger and held the door open.
“Leah, hop in the front with me, Caitlin, in the back with Talon. We must
hurry.”

They had obviously put some serious thought into making
sure we were safe, but why and when?

Talon helped me into the car and climbed in next to me. Leah
hardly had the door shut when Jace took off in a combination of smoke and
screeching tires. I saw Jace reach over and hold Leah’s hand.

To my horror, I felt the waterworks start again. I am not normally
prone to weeping—at least I wasn’t before we met Talon and Jace. It used to
take a lot to make me cry—you would have
to seriously piss
me off to bring on the sobbing.

Talon gently wiped away a single tear that was slipping
down my cheek. He lifted me into his lap, cradling me like a baby and let me
cry all over his shirt.

“
’Tacha
, those
will be the last tears you cry. I only want your happiness.” He smoothed back
my hair, and I grimaced thinking I probably reeked of that nasty smoke. I
thought back to the face within the bonfire and shuddered.

Talon shook his head. “What must I do to make you forget
and be happy again?”

I buried my face in his chest. “Just hold me.” I felt so
lame even saying it, but it was all I could manage.

He groaned and held me even tighter. I don’t know how much
time passed, but eventually the car stopped. Jace hopped out, pulling Leah out
of the passenger seat, and then helping me to my feet. I stumbled, and Talon
was there immediately to steady me.

Jace grimaced. “I’m sorry girls, but we have to move
quickly. We can explain more once we are safe.”

Leah finally snapped.
“Dammit, Jace safe
from what?
What the hell was that thing we saw in the clearing?”

Jace put his finger across her lips. “Shhh, let’s go, and we’ll
explain everything.”

I finally realized where we were.
“The
Flower Mound?
Why are we here?”

They nodded solemnly, and then swept us up in their arms, racing
for the tree in the middle of the Mound.

Jace put Leah down, placing his hand on the trunk of the
tree. There was a blast of warm, sweetly scented air, and suddenly my head swam
violently.

Then there was nothing at all.

Chapter
6

Sanctuary

The room
was saturated
with light from
several strangely glowing, green stones in a beautiful mother of pearl bowl resting
next to the couch. The effect of the stones reflecting off the bowl mesmerized
me. I stretched my arms over my head and enjoyed the sensation of the soft
fabric of the couch against my skin. Instinctively rolling to my right side, I
curled into the warmth I found there.

What a bizarre night. It
was
a dream, wasn’t it?

I definitely remembered Talon’s strong arms holding me as
if I weighed nothing–that part couldn’t have been a fantasy. Suddenly a muscled
arm reached around me and pulled me closer. My eyes snapped open.

Oh. My.
God.
Where was I?

Closing my eyes, I did a mental inventory. I had no idea
where I was, but I
was
on the largest,
most comfortable couch I had ever known, so it couldn’t be all bad. I could
also tell I was still wearing the same clothes I’d worn to the party.

Talon and Jace, the party, the bonfire - it must have been
real.

Taking a deep breath, I peeked through my lashes. I had to
maneuver slightly to see the owner of the arms wrapped tightly around me. I
couldn’t remember ever feeling so secure.

Lifting my head, I was able to gaze directly into Talon’s
warm, chocolate-brown eyes. They were so deep, I could completely lose myself
in them, and for a moment, I did exactly that.

“Hello, Sleeping Beauty. Are you feeling better? We were
worried about you. You fainted and were screaming in your sleep.” His voice was
soft and flowed over me like silk.

Oh, lord, his breath smelled so sweet and fresh. It wasn’t
fair! Couldn’t he at least have steak breath from dinner, like a normal person?

Ahh
!
Did I have Caesar-wrap
breath?

I clamped my lips together in hopes any foul odors stayed
inside. He gazed gently at me as if I had amused him, sending off a storm of
butterflies in my stomach.

This must be a
dream
.
Please
don’t let me wake up.

It was too perfect and I was afraid to move or speak in
case it made him disappear. I tentatively ran a single finger down his forearm
and saw his eyes spark blue for a split second.

I wondered what caused that change. It seemed to happen
when he
got keyed up,
like when we kissed in the
woods. I blushed, and Talon shook his head.

Hmm, if this was a dream, then I could do anything I wanted,
right?

I rolled completely over on my side to face him, running my
hand lightly up his considerable bicep. Talon raised an eyebrow. I decided to
test things a little further by reaching up and locking my hands behind his
neck, pressing my body more fully against his.

His breathing sped up to match mine, and I brought his head
down, fusing my lips against his. Such daring was so unlike me, but the
familiarity of the moment was overwhelming. I pulled away and peered up at him.

Oh,
yeah.

His eyes were blazing blue again. He pulled me roughly
against him, holding me tightly, and
kissed
me. I gave
in–so tired of feeling nothing but fear and anxiety. His large hands roamed
from my lower back to my shoulders and I sighed in contentment, as he made me
happier than I had been in a long time and did it without putting pressure on
me. I kissed him back until we were both breathless, shivering as he ran his
hand down my back to where my hip curved.

“Talon?”
I whispered if for no other reason than to reassure myself
he was real.

I ran my hand down
his
back, and he groaned pulling away from me and sitting back on the couch, eyes burning
like sapphires. I sat up as well, pushing my hair back from my face and taking
a deep breath.

He stared at the floor for several minutes.

Something told me I wasn’t going to like what he was about
to say. I tilted my head to the right and played with my necklace. He took a
quick look at my now shaking hands and met my gaze with infinite sadness.

“I guess you probably have a lot of questions for me. I
promise you I will answer them as best I can.”

I bit the inside of my bottom lip as I had seen my mom do
so many times.

Oh, crap!
Mom!

She would be furious with me. I needed to call her as soon
as I could. How would I ever be able to explain the events of the last several
hours? I needed more answers before I could even attempt to explain anything to
anyone else. Right now Talon was the only one who could tell me what I wanted
to know.

“Okay. You can start by telling me where we are.” I
was surprised
by how calm and level my voice sounded. Maybe
I had gone into shock.

Talon gestured around the room. “We are in a place called
Sanctuary. It is a safe haven, and no harm can reach you here.”

“Sanctuary.”
I repeated slowly, fighting to remain calm. “Hmm, okay. Why
have I never heard of this place before? Are Jace and Leah here as well? I need
to contact my mom before she calls the police or simply finds and kills me
herself.” My rising anxiety triggered a storm of questions.

Talon exhaled noisily. “Wow. You got on a roll there. Well
first, most people don’t know of the existence of Sanctuary. Its secrets
are known
only to a select few. Second,
Jace
and Leah are in the next room, looking quite cozy the last time I saw them.” He
patted my hand reassuringly. “Also, I already talked to your mom. She knows
where you are and wants you to stay put. She knows I will protect you with my
life.”

I heaved a sigh, pulling my hands from his and rubbed my
temples. “I don’t understand.
Why
are
you willing to do that? You hardly know me, but our relationship has progressed
faster in the last week than all my others combined. So, what is it about being
with you that makes me feel so alive?” My eyes filled with unshed tears. “You
could have anyone you wanted.
Why me?
I’m no one.”

He focused on the floor for a moment before meeting my
gaze.

“Caitlin, you have no idea how precious you are. I cannot
explain why. During my short time with you, I have experienced things I never
thought possible. You are the light to my darkness. Without knowing you, I
would have been forever silenced in my own, quiet world.”

I stared at him, speechless. How was I supposed to respond
to that? He managed to put everything I was feeling about him into words.

I reached over, taking his hand in mine. “I have nothing to
offer you. I am not beautiful, rich or brilliant—just painfully ordinary.”

He looked frustrated. “Can you not see how other people see
you? I have to fight to stay in control when we walk in public. You draw the
eye of every male in the area. You are beautiful inside and out, and it shows.”
He sighed deeply and ran his hands through his hair. “You put way too much
stock into the opinion of one completely psychotic jackass.”

I dropped my hands into my lap. “I know. It’s just so much
easier to believe the bad things.”

He grabbed both my hands in his. “One day you are finally
going to realize your potential, and I definitely want to be there when you
do.”

I turned away from his gaze and stared at the table next to
the couch at the bowl that held the stones. They fascinated me. I wondered if
they were hot.

I ran my hand over the glow.

Interesting.

I couldn’t feel any heat coming off them at all. Talon eyed
me as I reached over and plucked a stone out of the bowl. As soon as my hand
touched the surface, it burst into a brilliant emerald glow causing Talon to shield
his eyes from the glare.

I exclaimed. “
Awesome
!
Did you
see
that? What makes them
glow brighter when you pick them up?”

Talon inched his way to the edge of the couch and stood up.
“They don’t. They will only glow like that when held in the hands
of a
Lumina
.”

A lump formed in my throat. Why did he look so freaked out?
Was he suggesting that I was one of these
Lumina
? What did that mean? Was it a bad thing?

“Talon, what is
a
Lumina
?”

His shoulders drooped a bit. “Unfortunately, this changes
everything. I need to talk to Jace. Stay here for a minute and I’ll send Leah
to you.” He backed out the door.

Actually backed out.

What was that all about? Why did he need to talk to Jace?
What was Jace going to be able to do? I didn’t have any time to think about it
before Leah came streaking into the room, and grabbed me around the neck.

“Caiiiitttiiii!”

She jumped on the couch and almost dumped both of us on the
floor.

“Isn’t this the most
amazing
place? It’s like a club. You can order food and drinks, watch TV, surf the Net.
They even have Xbox 360! There are all kinds of mini-rooms with papasan chairs
and everything. But this,” she gestured to the room we were now in, “this is
the only room furnished with an actual full-sized couch and loveseat. According
to Jace, it’s only for VIPs.
Woo-hoo.
Finally
we are VIPs!”

I rubbed my temples. I still had a mild headache. I was
glad Leah was having fun, but then again she could have fun at an insurance
seminar.

“What happened in here? Talon seemed so serious when he
came to get Jace.”

I sighed. “Leah, I have no idea. Things were going really
well until I picked up one of those.” I gestured to the bowl on the table.

Leah nodded. “Yeah, they have those all over the place—some
sort of light. I thought they were so pretty—such a soft, calming glow.”

“They aren’t calming when I hold them.” I leaned over the
table and plucked a stone from the bowl.

Leah’s eyes squinted as the stone grew brighter and
brighter.

“How do you
do
that?”
she demanded and picked one up for herself. The stone in her hand gave a
brighter glow, but nothing like the sunspot I was able to create.

I shrugged, “I don’t know, but it sent Talon out of here
awfully fast. He said they only do that in the hands ‘of a
Lumina
’, whatever that means.”

Leah bounced up and down on the couch clapping her hands. “Is
this where we find out we are really princesses?”

I snorted. “
Right,
and we have
magical powers too. I think we had one Princess Night too many when we were
younger.”

Leah giggled, “If that were the case, I would have changed Tami
into a frog a long time ago.”

There was a knock at the door and Leah bounded across the
room and flung it open.

“
Hellooooooo
.”
She squealed and immediately lurched out the door. I
leaned over to see past the door only to find Leah locked in a bear hug with my
mom.

“Mom!”
I ran across the room, grabbing her around the neck and sobbing.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or worry you. The battery on my mobile
is dead. You wouldn’t believe what we’ve been through.”

She patted my back as she had when I was little, and it was
incredibly calming.
Pat--pat…pause…pat--pat…pause – the sound of a mother’s heartbeat.
I reluctantly pulled back out of her embrace.

“Mom, how did you know where to find me?” I eyed her
suspiciously. “Have you been here before?”

She nodded silently. I ground my teeth together, astounded she
would withhold information of this magnitude from me. We were in some mystical safe
house and she was perfectly calm like we were just out visiting friends. We got
here through a
tree
for God’s sake!

I walked back over to the table. “Great, maybe you can
explain
this
?” I turned back to face
her with one of the stones and slowly opened my hand. The stone glowed brighter
and brighter until it completely illuminated the room. I dropped the stone into
her open palm.

Her face went white. “Oh! I hope this isn’t why Talon was
so upset when he called me.”

I balled my hands into fists and slammed them into my
thighs. “Speaking of Talon, perhaps you can enlighten me as to what the hell a
‘
Lumina
’ is, since his face went ashen
just saying it? I’ve had enough surprises for a lifetime, and just want someone
to give me a straight answer.” I threw the stone across the room.

She reached over to take my hand, but I immediately pulled
it back. I didn’t want anyone to touch me right now.

She blew her bangs out of her eyes. “It’s complicated.”