Undertow (27 page)

Raef studied me for a moment and sighed, “While your appearance did in fact change our lives, I wouldn’t necessarily say it was for the worse.”  I looked at him, irritated disbelief on my face.

He grabbed my hand. “No. Listen to me. Kian and I didn’t have any purpose to our lives. We just existed, bouncing from one city to another, rarely knowing anyone. Our families are long since dead and friendships can become liabilities, even among our own kind,” said Raef, his hand tightening around mine.

“And Ana had no one either. She was living over a garage, barely getting by and completely lost as to her own abilities. Last summer she met Kian and, for once, found happiness only to have it torn from her again. You brought them back together.”

I watched his face and it seemed so trustworthy and safe.

He grasped my other hand. “And MJ. He has the raw talent of his kind that he never fully focused on until you came. You brought out the best in him. You brought out the best in all of us,” said Raef. “Yes, you changed our lives, but in ways that we could have never done without you.” 

I looked down at his hands holding mine and I flexed my fingers in his strong palms, trying to ground myself in the prickly sensation.

“If I do not learn to use my talent, I will have signed everyone’s death sentence,” I said, quietly. “I want you to know that I release you, all of you, from any debt you feel you owe my grandmother. There’s no need for everyone to lose their lives. They’re only after me.”

Raef opened his mouth to speak, but I held up my hand to silence him. “I need you to make sure Mae is okay if something happens to me. I need you to keep the others safe. Can you promise me that?” I asked.

Raef sat back and looked out over the slowly rolling water. He wrapped himself in a pensive silence as he
watched the ocean flex.  Finally he turned to me, “I promise to protect those who you love, but I need to also protect the one I cannot live without.”

I thought I had heard wrong.

Misunderstood what he had just said.

He leaned closer to me. “Even without Elizabeth, I would have protected you,” said Raef, touching my fingers as they lay in my lap.  “I knew I would from the moment I saw you. Before I even understood fully who you were, I knew I would follow you, guard you, even if only from a distance.”

I drew a deep, unstable breath as he continued, “We are here on our own accord. And for me, I am here because of you and only you, Lunaterra or not. Elizabeth’s granddaughter or not. I will always be here for you, Eila. You have entangled yourself in my heart.”

I tried to absorb what he had just said and simply began to smile. I smiled so wide, that I brought my hand to my mouth, trying to cover it. He watched me and moved closer until he was right next to me.

His blue eyes looked at mine and he slowly pulled my hand from my mouth, revealing my smile. He gently tucked a dark strand of hair behind my ear, as he always did, and let it tumble down my shoulder. He brought his hands to my face and softly drew one thumb across my mouth, numbing my lips. 

A burning heat began weaving up my back and through my arms and legs. Still cradling my face, he brought his own close to mine and stopped, his nose almost touching my own. My heart was hammering as he carefully, cautiously, brought his lips to mine and softly brushed them along my own, scorching every inch they touched.

It wasn’t simply a kiss, but a chance to feel something entirely forbidden. I could feel the muscles in the palms of his hands tense and react as he held my face, the flames within me dancing along every area he touched.

My soul was branded by his kiss, and the electricity that bounced between us was like lightning skating over the water ahead of the darkest storm. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the moment, feeling everything as my body glowed relentlessly in response to him.

It was the most intimate and alive I had ever felt.

He drew his mouth away from mine and I opened my eyes, entirely light headed. He watched me, looking for a sign of rejection, his own breath ragged. Desire took over and I knocked the blanket off my shoulders, reaching up to tangle my fingers in his hair, as I pulled his lips to mine.

He deepened the kiss in response and wrapped his body-breaking arms around my back, pressing my body against his. I didn’t feel the cold air sliding past us as heat radiated inside me, gliding across my skin and down my spine. It was entirely possible my heart would give out, for his kiss alone could steal my soul and I would have willingly given it to him.

He pulled back slightly, shaking and breathless. I opened my eyes and his face was covered in beautiful swirls and designs, all framing his now entirely black eyes. He was a flawless combination of beautiful hero and soulless assassin.

For a moment I was frozen, yet fearless, as I allowed myself to study the artwork covering his golden skin. The wind tossed a lock of his hair over one eye and he carefully brushed it away, unsure if he should show me his midnight eyes, which were slowly returning to their twilight blue.

The intensity of the moment finally rose to my face and I smiled as I never had before.  Slowly he smiled back at me, realizing, no doubt, that we had crossed a line that could never be redrawn.

Still tightly embraced in his powerful arms, he leaned back into the leather lounge, dragging me with him. The heat slowly fading from my body, I shivered and he reached over and pulled the blanket onto me. Onto us. I snuggled my face into his chest with a glorious understanding that he was mine as I was his.

I rested my head on his shoulder and we watched the moon hover over the water, silently. He stroked the curve of my side with his fingertips, pulling wisps of heat down my hip. I sat there, tucked into him, watching the night, my heart in flames.  I no longer feared the darkness or what might lie in wait for me within the shadows.

We stayed that way, in our own peaceful nirvana, until Raef whispered to me that he heard Kian return. I had forgotten entirely about Collette . . . and even tomorrow’s ball. I felt Raef’s broad shoulders shift slightly under me, the muscles flexing beneath his shirt.

Kian walked around to the bow to where we were, his arms loaded with black garment bags. He just looked at Raef and me and gave a knowing smile. “I’ll watch over the boat, if you want,” he said to Raef.

“I think I will take you up on the offer,” said Raef, pulling me to my feet. “I take it Collette played nice?”

“I’m alive aren’t I?” replied Kian, sarcasm coating his words.

I pulled the blanket tighter around me as Raef’s hand rested on my hip. As we walked by Kian, I flashed an embarrassed smile, but then remembered Ana. I touched him on the arm and he looked down at me, “Wake Ana. You promised.”

Kian’s face looked surprised for a moment, “I will.”

Raef reached out and gave Kian’s shoulder a brotherly squeeze and then led me around the side of the yacht to the aft deck. I felt completely at peace.

Back at his bedroom door he wished me goodnight but I didn’t want him to leave. “Will you sleep with me?” I asked, his hand still in mine.

He looked surprised. “Eila . . . It’s not a good idea . . .”

My face flushed. “Just SLEEP. I’m afraid to sleep alone,” I said, butterflies going
berserk. “I keep thinking about . . .”

Raef quickly understood and his face looked pained, thinking of what I had gone through and how it haunted me. He nodded and we walked into his room.

He watched me as I slipped out of my robe and climbed into his bed, pulling the covers over me. He climbed into bed next to me, his clothes still on, and hauled me to him. I rested my head on his heart as he kept one strong arm around my back. He was studying me intently, his fingers tracing swirls on my electrified back.

“Does that normally happen when you, uh, kiss someone,” I asked, reaching up and drawing shapes on his markless face.

“No,” he said roughly. His eyes closed in response to my exploring fingers. “When you touch me, it feels so . . . intense. Like ice, but . . . wow.” I smiled, proud I had such an effect on him.

“What exactly are they? The marks?” I asked, my fingers trailing down his jaw. He drew a halted breath, which almost sounded like a low growl. As my hands reached his neck, he gently caught my fingers.

“If you keep touching me like that, my will to be noble is going to crumble, especially with you snuggled next to me.” His voice rumbled in his chest and I grinned, pulling my hand back to rest over his shirt. “The marks are the language of the Fallen One. It is an ancient language that I do not understand. I actually have no clue what it says.”

I played with one of the buttons on his shirt as he watched me. “They normally only appear when one gives or takes life,” said Raef, his fingers stilling on my back.

“Then why did they appear when we kissed?” I whispered.

“I am not sure. You are the first Lunaterra I have kissed.” Raef’s voice purred deep within his chest. “Maybe it has something to do with Elizabeth when she altered Kian and I.”

Something occurred to me and I stopped playing with his shirt. “Do you . . . do you think our feelings, for one another . . . are from Elizabeth?” I swallowed and Raef didn’t answer right away. The silence bored into me.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly as his arm curled around me tighter, like a band of steel.

What if that was all this was? A side effect of Elizabeth’s energy release when she died. Were we just a chemical reaction to one another? I didn’t want to think about it. I just wanted to live in this moment. Believe that we were soulmates and not because of my grandmother.

I felt Raef breathe slowly in and out and I closed my eyes. Before I knew it, I had fallen into a deep sleep, free, if only briefly, from the monsters that lived in my world and filled my dreams.

19

The next morning I wok
e
in a sof
t,
silken nest of blankets and pillows. I lay there, feeling the subtle rhythm of the boat as it floated on the water and turned to look at Raef, but he wasn’t in bed. I sat up, slowly, remembering the evening before and wondering where he had gone.

Wondering if it had happened at all.

From the galley down the hall I could hear voices and laughter.  The smell of coffee and cinnamon floated lightly in the air.  I stretched and slipped my feet out from under the covers and pulled on the robe. I could hear Ana laughing loudly.

Ana. Laughing. It seemed too improbable.

I pulled open the door to Raef’s room and stepped into the hallway, watching Kian, Ana and MJ, talking and laughing. MJ was telling a story, his hands waving animatedly.  There was a delicious spread of food on the table and the flat screen on the wall played the news quietly.

I leaned against the door, the sight of them actually enjoying themselves warming my heart. They were either in complete denial or absolute acceptance of our current situation and were determined to make the best of it.

The door to the bathroom across from me opened and Raef stepped out. He had on a pair of black sweat pants and his hair was wild and damp, a towel still in his hands. His toned chest and arms looked as if they were sculpted by Michelangelo himself.

My pulse accelerated to 9000 when he looked at me and smiled. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, stepping over to me and tossing the towel over his shoulder.

“I did,” I said, a silly smile blossoming on my face. I turned slightly so the trio in the galley couldn’t see my expression of delight. “Thank you,” I said quietly, looking up at him, my heart fluttering.

He stepped even closer and smiled down at me, “My pleasure. Seek my services anytime.”

Oh hell. I was in so much trouble.

He pulled my brac
elet from his pocket and placed it back on my wrist. “I thought you might want this back,” he said securing the beautiful gift once again.

I had forgotten it was still in the bathroom. Typical me.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said, a slight crease to his brow as he finished with the bracelet, adjusting the way it sat against my skin.

“Of course. Shoot,” I said, trying to calm the butterflies attempting to flee my body.

“Did you know the mark on your back looks like it matches the symbol on the back of that book you brought with you?”

“Seriously?” I asked, quickly reaching around my back to feel the raised brand, but my robe was too thick to feel anything. “Are you sure?” I never got a very close look at it since it was on my back and I couldn’t twist my head like an owl.

“While you were sleeping I got a, uh, long, look at it. You rolled over and I saw it,” he said, a light flush adding to his cheeks.

Good grief, was he BLUSHING?

He leaned in closer and my heart spazzed. “I guess I could check again, though,” he said quietly, a delicious curve pulling up the corner of his mouth. I had to pry my eyes off his lips before my brain melted and I jumped the boy. I punched him in his rock hard arm, feigning insult, but my acting was pitiful.

Raef laughed lightly. It was the first time I had ever heard him laugh and I loved the sound of it. He reached
out to my hip and pulled me closer, his breath grazing my cheek. “At some point we need to find out if those are the same. You just tell me when.”

Yup, I was going to DIE.

My words stumbled slightly as his fingers danced over my hip, “You are, um . . . thinking the book might be important?” I asked, proud that I could actually compose a coherent sentence with him so flipping close.

“You’re so smart,” Raef teased, and urged me down the hall with that wayward hand of his. “Come on. Let’s feed you,” he said, sliding it around to the small of my back. A fading burn-line followed in the wake of his hand as we walked down the hallway to our friends.

“All right, what was so funny?” I asked as I arrived in the galley.

MJ leaned back in his chair, “I was just telling Kian about how Ana had a princess party when she was eight, but ended up wrestling with one of the girls over a tiara. It was awesome!”

“And the last time I ever dressed up in anything that fancy,” said Ana with a wry smile.

“Except for tonight,” declared MJ, begging for Ana to slap him. Ana just shook her head, resigned.

Raef and I sat down at the table and I pulled a bagel toward me. Kian was still leaning against the counter. I glanced over to him, “So did Collette ask about our clothing? Why we needed stuff?” I asked pouring some coffee.

“She did, but I was my awesome self and danced around the answer. Thoroughly pissed her off too, though I kept my arms. Apparently she liked my cars better than me. Your gowns are in my room, as well as the tuxes. You should try them on before we ship out.”

Even though I was a hardcore, anti-frill girl, I felt like a kid on Christmas and was itching to see my dress. Bummer that the Grim Reaper may be lurking in with the presents.

Last night our plan sounded pretty slick. This morning however
, I was certain we were about to reenact the first chapter of THE LUNATICS GUIDE TO IDIOT IDEAS. I stopped eating and dropped my hands into my lap, rubbing my lifeline like a nervous tick.

Raef saw my subtle move and wove his fingers into mine under the table, stopping my manic twitch. He slowly traced circles at the base of my thumb with his and my palm warmed like the sun.  My fears started to fade ever so slightly as the warmth slid up my arm, teasing my heart.

Kian watched us and shifted slightly on his feet. He knew Raef and I disappeared last night together. The question was: would he keep his mouth shut?

“I also swung by the city morgue,” he said to Raef.

“Good idea,” Raef replied and looked at my shocked face. “The guy there is helpful to our kind.”

“He knows about you?” I asked, surprised.

“He is one,” replied Raef.

  Kian smiled, “He sells the corpse blood as a side gig. One is always in need of emergency human essence.” He looked at my food. “Still hungry?”

“Ugh . . . not so much. No.” I said, sipping the coffee slowly. Raef’s hand grazed my thigh and I thought I would keel over. His lips quirked into a small, knowing grin for an instant.

“So what’s the plan?” asked MJ. “Just walk into the Breakers and up to this Raines guy and say, ‘Hey there, we know you are a Mortis ‘cause Eila has a picture of you and her Grams from a century or two ago, so start talking’?”

I had to agree with MJ - I was seriously skeptical of
how
we were going to get this guy to open up. Kian and Raef looked at each other, no doubt trying to figure out the same question.

“Actually, that may be perfect,” said Ana. “Raines will never be expecting to meet Eila at his fundraiser.  Praise his party then just casually slide into the house information. Once you’ve got his attention, you tell him who you are and that you need information.  We’ll know quickly if he is going to be on your side or not, based on his reaction.”

Raef frowned and his hand stilled. “No. I don’t want her going near him,” he said, a protective darkness filling his gaze.

Kian looked at Raef, “He’s not going to try anything in front of a crowd. He won’t risk it. Plus, there is a chance, a small one, that he will recognize you or me. MJ, Ana and Eila are no one to him.”

“Thanks,” muttered MJ.

“You know what I mean,” said Kian. He looked at me, “If you’re up to it, I think it will have more power – more influence – if you approach him. If he does something stupid, he’s dead in an instant, crowd of deep pockets or not.”

“I’m up for it. In fact, I want to meet this man. He knew Elizabeth after all,” I said, still hoping Christian Raines was a friend. We had our fill of foes.

Raef’s hold on my hand tightened, “I’ve had too many close calls with your safety. Taken too many chances. Even at the
beach with that damn human.” A muscle in his jaw jumped as rage seeped into him and his gaze drilled into the table.

“Human. What human?” asked Ana. “What are you talking about?” I tried to shake my head, encouraging her not to press fo
r details for the sake of Raef, and maybe myself as well. I placed my hand on Raef’s rigid arm and squeezed.

He had turned into a stone of anger and when he spoke his voice was deadly low, “I left Eila alone on the beach so I could help Jesse, but some drunken senior named Ted . . .” Raef swore, his hand clenching into an iron ball, “ . . . assaulted her.”

Everyone was frozen, their faces stricken. I quickly clarified the event, which seemed to have bothered Raef far more than I realized.

I rubbed his arm. “Nothing happen
ed. Raef got there before, well, you know. And Ted probably has no recollection of what he did. Almost did. Whatever. I’m just thankful you didn’t stay in his truck with him, Ana.”

Ana was about to reply and almost managed to open her mouth to speak, but Kian was already at her side. His face was hard. “Did he touch you?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous, just like Raef’s. I feared Ted was going to need his own bodyguard . . . or move to a different planet.

Raef’s gaze slid to me, an obvious plot to permanently damage Ted forming if Ana’s answer was similar to mine.

So not good.

Thankfully Ana explained that she had only helped him get his truck restarted and set up the amplifiers. She gently extracted her wrist from Kian’s grasp and he finally stepped back slightly, but Raef and he seemed to exchange some criminal, unspoken thought.

When we got back to the Cape,
if
we ever got back, Ana and I were going to need to diffuse our two bodyguards before they ran into Ted. Otherwise the football team would find itself down a player. While I definitely deserved an apology from the linebacker, he didn’t deserve to be maimed. Or murdered.

I looked over to Ana, “Let’s go try on the dresses and make sure they fit.”

She readily agreed, as the fierce testosterone in the room was damn near suffocating. Raef and Kian hadn’t moved, and MJ watched as Ana and I headed to Kian’s room. I knew, just KNEW, they were going to plot what they wanted to do to Ted.

Ana and I had our work cut out for us when it came to calming our faithful guards. I leaned over to Ana as we walked.

“We can’t let them kill Ted,” I whispered.

“
Ya think?” she replied.