Smoke and Mirrors (24 page)

Her cheeks grew hot at the brush of his lips, then hotter still when she recalled she was wearing one of his shirts and was tucked into his bed.

“Did you… umm…”

She trailed off, too embarrassed to finish the thought. He arched one brow in question, then chuckled as her blush deepened.

“Undress you? No, though I admit I considered doing it myself after I saw how badly Viper roughed you up. I’m afraid your clothing was ruined in the scuffle. Rieva stopped by to check in and helped me get you settled. She’ll be by later tonight with some food and supplies for you.”

“Oh,” Kimberly said, not sure if she was more embarrassed by that or relieved. It was strange to think of the angry changeling who hated her kind so much being the motherly type and helping Cormac nurse her back to health. Then worry set back in. “Wait a sec—what time is it? My mom is going to be so mad at me if I’m out too late. I have to get home.”

He voiced a soft growl, then brushed her hair back out of her face. She might have fallen right back asleep with him running his fingers through her hair like that, except there was a minor tremor in his fingers and his expression was such a mix of guilt and remorse that she wasn’t sure what was going on. When he did speak, the resignation in his tone was clear even through his muttered response.

“I was going to wait to tell you this,” he said, “but it’s Tuesday night. You were so badly drained, it took much longer than expected for you to recover. You still need to rest.”

Kimberly stared up at him in shock, her hand slipping from his cheek. She had met with Viper in the park on Saturday afternoon. She’d been out for days.

Fresh panic over what that meant bubbled in her chest. Her mother had no idea where she was, she’d missed school and work, and who knew what kind of damage had been done to her to knock her unconscious for so long. Cormac placed his hand over hers again, squeezing fingers gone cold.

“Don’t worry. I had Eleanor—Professor Reed—explain to your mother that a school project has been keeping you intensely occupied. She might appreciate it if you check in with a phone call, but she was understanding enough when she was told it had to do with your preparations for graduation. I believe Eleanor may also have made some sort of arrangement with your job. If you need it, she is prepared to grant you an extension on your finals, too.”

“You did all that?”

“I did. Like I said, I’ve taken care of everything. All you need to do now is lie back and rest. Get your strength back.”

Astounded, she barely managed a whispered “thank you” around the lump in her throat. She couldn’t imagine what she had done to merit him doing so much to take care of her, but she was grateful for it, nonetheless.

He gave her a wide, warm smile, leaning in to brush his lips against her forehead again. “You’re welcome. Remember, you’re safe here. Anything you need, just call for me. I want you to stay until you’re fully recovered.”

She nodded. Hesitated. “Why did that dragon save me? Where did it go?”

Cormac’s gaze flicked away, his smile faltering. “It wants to be your familiar. It will return once you’ve recovered.”

She closed her eyes against the fierce sparking of his aura, settling into the pillows again with a groan.

A real dragon. It may have scared her to pieces, but it had saved her. Even if it wanted something from her in return, Cormac’s plan had worked. It might take her a little time to wrap her wits around the idea of working with such a powerful Other again after her latest experience.

“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” she admitted. “After what happened with Viper…”

His lips twitched, a ghost of his humor returning. “He’s nothing like Viper, and very impressed by your credentials. He’s quite anxious to help you. So you have an extra incentive to rebuild your strength and get back on your feet. Dragons don’t like to be kept waiting.”

She nodded, though she couldn’t help how stiff she’d gone at the thought, heartbeat thudding in her ears. Cormac traced a fingertip over her lips, jerking her out of the dark pit of doubt growing in her mind. She was brought very much back to the present at his touch, his voice turning husky as the sly twinkle in his eyes grew brighter.

“Not that I mind having you in my bed… but I think we’ll both enjoy it more when you’re here because you want to be, not because you have to be.”

Another blush heated her cheeks. She was all too aware of his warmth, his strength, the comfortable way he had settled and molded his body along hers. It would have been nice to share that intimacy with him, but she was so exhausted and achy that he was right. It wasn’t the time. It would be—that decision was surprisingly easy to make—but not until she was better and they were both ready.

Tired and stressed as she was, she hesitated before whispering one last request.

“Will you stay with me? Until I fall asleep? I’m scared to be alone.”

His expression turned grave as he pulled back, eyes searching her face. She bit her lip, feeling stupid for asking until he sat up and scooted under the covers with her. His arms slid around her to hold her close, tucking her head under his chin. She almost lost it again, squeezing her eyes tightly closed to keep any more tears from spilling all over his naked chest, even if they were from gratitude this time.

“I’m here,” he murmured, fingertips lightly stroking her back. “For as long as you want me, I’ll always be here.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

After that first night awake, it didn’t take Kimberly long to recover her strength. Cormac had briefly woken her up a second time to get some food in her, helping her sit up to eat the soup and drink the fae-infused water Rieva had delivered. She devoured every bite, promptly fell back asleep, and slept the rest of the night through and a good chunk of the following day.

She woke up alone in the bed, refreshed, charged with energy, and ready to take on the world.

Her legs didn’t agree, wobbling the moment she put her weight on them. Cormac found her a few minutes later, spitting curses as she fought to get herself out of her indignant sprawl she’d fallen into.

A bark of laughter was surprised out of him at the sight. He set aside the tray he’d been carrying, kneeling down to scoop her up in his arms. She grumbled under her breath about it and yanked at the long shirt she was wearing to keep her bare legs covered, but settled down as he picked her up and took the few steps necessary to deposit her back on the bed.

“What part of rest was unclear?” he asked.

His scolding might have been more effective if his shoulders weren’t still shaking from suppressed laughter, his eyes glittering with mirth. She stuck her tongue out at him and fell back into the pillows with a huff.

“I’m fine. I feel great.”

“That’s the water from the Black Star talking.” He lightly ran a fingertip from the inside of her elbow all the way down to her wrist, making a parade of goose bumps march down her arm. “Your spark is running hot, but the rest of you needs time to catch up.”

She made a low sound of frustration, folding her arms. “I hate this. I need to move.”

“Eat something, then I’ll help you wander around all you like.”

He got up to retrieve the tray, setting it down in her lap. She was only slightly alarmed to see that the surface was still aglow with some kind of power from the faded runes etched in the tarnished metal surface. They were all ancient, of a brand she wasn’t familiar with. This tray had been used for spells and perhaps as an altar in the past. Not to mention it was a relic, probably worth more than the entire combined contents of her apartment. She was a tad nonplussed that Cormac thought it made an appropriate breakfast tray.

The plate in the center had eggs, bacon, and toast. A smaller dish held an arrangement of sliced fruit. There was a steaming cup of coffee and a glass bottle of water stoppered with a cork. A quick peek with her Sight showed the by now familiar elemental energy from the Black Star swirling in the drinks. A hint of it in the food as well.

Cormac was clearly determined to have her wired on elemental energy. Never mind that she had no idea how to use it. It had to be doing some good, considering how much better she was feeling and how much her Sight had been improving since she first started drinking the potent stuff.

He stayed beside her, watching intently as she picked at the food. Despite her embarrassment at being watched and waited on, hunger got the better of her. Within a couple of bites, she was devouring the meal with gusto. When there was nothing left but crumbs, she reached for the coffee, eyeing him over the rim of the mug.

“Are you sure I’m not being a bother?”

He grinned. “Believe me, if I thought you were a bother, you would know it. I’m finding I’m enjoying having someone to take care of.”

She avoided his gaze, sipping the coffee. He slid the tray from her lap, placing it on the bedside table, then held out his hand for the mug as soon as she lowered it from her lips. With a sigh, she relinquished it, and he set that aside on the table as well. That done, he rose, offering his arm to her for support.

“Rieva will be here any minute,” he said. “If you’re feeling up to it, you can come down to speak with her.”

Kimberly gave him a dubious look before taking his hand, rising shakily back to her feet. He helped her steady herself, but she wasn’t quite so wobbly this time around, standing under her own power before long.

“I’m not exactly dressed for it.”

“Neither am I,” he said, shrugging. Considering he was only wearing a pair of jeans, no shirt, she couldn’t help but agree. “She won’t care. And if she does, she can always come back some other time. Besides, I thought you might like to choose a book or two, or find some other things to occupy yourself while you’re recuperating.”

Kimberly fidgeted in place, considering. She wasn’t used to lying around doing nothing. It would get boring before long if she didn’t have some form of entertainment to distract herself. Rieva had already seen her disheveled state, anyway. There was no reason to cling to her squeamishness and embarrassment if Cormac wasn’t worried about it either. Though Kimberly did have some reservations about the woman, Rieva had helped her. She couldn’t be all bad.

“I’ll take any excuse to get out of this room for a while, but I’m not sure why you think she’d want to talk to me. Doesn’t she hate me?”

“Of course not. She wanted to apologize for siccing Viper on you.”

No effort was made to disguise her doubt. Rather than continue to worry about what the changeling might do to her in her current condition, she focused on keeping her balance and staying upright on the long trek across the room. Cormac stayed close, ready to catch her should she stumble, but she did a fair job of maintaining her footing.

The extraordinarily complex series of glyphs etched into the door frame blazed to life when she got within a yard of them. Flinching back with a startled gasp, he had to catch her before she could fall.

“Cripes,” she said, voice shaking. “Were you planning to use this place as a bomb shelter during the next World War?”

He chuckled. “Something like that. There’s no safer place in the city for you to recover. I thought you might appreciate the security.”

The glyphs snapped with energy that rippled and fizzed against her skin as they passed through the doorway. All her hair was standing on end as if she’d been scooting around on a carpet in wool socks. When she glanced up, she couldn’t help giggling when she saw his own hair was doing the same, like he’d just stuck his finger in an electric socket.

His puzzled frown when he looked at her had her laughing harder. Then he noted how her hair was floating around her head in a messy halo. With a snort, he ran a hand raggedly through his own hair, smoothing the crackling spikes.

“Perhaps they are a bit overcharged,” he admitted.

“Just a teensy bit.”

With a snort of amusement, he took her arm and led her across his apartment above the Wild Hunt. She peered around with interest, though there wasn’t much to see. Like his bedroom, the place didn’t look very lived in. It was tremendous and spotlessly clean, but there were no signs of habitation beyond a sparse scattering of furniture and candles providing illumination in addition to the dim, watery sunlight filtering through the rain-spattered windows. Not even a stray sock on the floor to make the place look like somebody lived there.

She nudged his ribs with her elbow. “Are you sure this is your apartment?”

“Of course. Why?”

She waved at all the empty space with her free hand. “It doesn’t look anything like your store. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a Spartan.”

“Ah. No, I would never call myself that. This is just a place for me to rest my head when I’m in the city and don’t feel up to making the trip home to the Catskills.”

She pursed her lips, looking around again. If he lived all the way in the Catskills, at least a hundred miles away, it was no wonder he kept an apartment in the city. Then again, a trip back and forth like that had to be a bit much to take every few days. Even if he only came in for a couple of days a week to tend his shop, she would think he might have left a few personal items in his apartment here. A couple of pictures, or a book or two. Something to give a hint about the interests and personality of the man behind the incredible clutter of the shop.