I cleared my throat and tried again. “Jack.” My voice was a little louder this time, but still a terrified whisper.
I gripped my hands into tight fists, my fingernails digging in, and opened my mouth a third time. This time only a strangled sob emerged.
I jerked my head to the window, but the creature – it seemed too tall and misshapen to be anything other than an animal now that my imagination was in overdrive – remained focused on its search. I needed it to stay near the woods so I could make it to Jack’s tent without garnering attention. There was only one way to do that.
I sucked in a calming breath, pressed my eyes shut and searched for the magic that only seemed to come when I least wanted it. I felt a whisper of power press against the corners of my mind. I prodded it, cajoled it a bit, and then I pushed it out in the direction of the trees.
The magic ripped free, grabbing a high branch on one of the pines and severing it from the trunk. The branch made a decent amount of noise as it fell, causing the creature to stare in that direction before dropping to a stealthy crouch to check it out. I had a chance. I couldn’t waste it.
I pushed myself to my knees, fumbling with the zipper on the side of the tent farthest from the shadow. I managed to navigate it high enough to slip through and then crawled to Jack’s tent, all the while thinking the creature would attack from behind and rip me apart. I didn’t risk a glance. I couldn’t. All I could do was push forward in the hope I would make it.
I considered knocking – which seemed ridiculous considering the circumstances – but I wasn’t sure about proper tent etiquette. Finally I found the zipper embedded at the bottom of Jack’s tent and opened it.
I crawled inside, feeling instantly better when I was close enough to hear Jack breathe.
He slept on his back, his chest rising and falling in even increments. He seemed peaceful as he dreamed. Now that I was in his I felt foolish and reticent about waking him. No force on Earth, however, was strong enough to get me to crawl back out without alerting him to what I saw.
“Um … Jack?”
Jack bolted to a sitting position, instantly alert. His eyes were full of concern when they fell on me. “What’s wrong?”
“I … um … saw something.”
“Where?”
I pointed toward the tent flap. “Behind my tent. I … Jack … um … it looked like Bigfoot.”
Jack stared at me a moment, dumbfounded. Finally he rubbed his fingers against his eyes and rolled out of his sleeping bag. “Stay here.”
That sounded like a terrible idea. “What if it gets you?”
“It won’t.” Jack didn’t hesitate as he crawled through the opening. I sat on the floor of his tent, my heart pounding as I rested my head against the knees I drew to my chest. After what seemed like forever – far too long for Jack to have survived the creature’s wrath, that’s for sure – the tent flaps moved again. I instinctively slapped out with my hands.
“It’s me,” Jack said, grumpy. He poked his head through the flap and scorched me with a dark look. “Were you going to slap Bigfoot to death?”
“I … um … .”
Jack’s expression softened and he took me by surprise when he tossed a sleeping bag to me. I recognized it as the one from my tent. “It’s okay. I didn’t see anything out there. But I didn’t want to traipse all over everything and ruin any prints we might find in the morning.”
“Oh, well, that’s a good idea.” I said the words, but I wasn’t sure I meant them. “What do you want me to do with this?”
“Get in it and sleep,” Jack replied, reclaiming his sleeping bag. “If you’re not going to sleep in your own tent, the only way I’ll get any rest is if you sleep in here.”
“But … what about the monster?”
“Monster?” Jack challenged. “There was nothing out there. I looked. I think you let your imagination – maybe even some dreams – get the better of you.”
“I didn’t dream about monsters,” I argued. “I dreamed … about something else.”
Jack’s eyes filled with pity – which was somehow worse – and he gripped my shoulder. “It’s okay. I kind of saw it coming after we talked around the fire. The second the sun rises I’ll look for prints. Until then, this tent is big enough for both of us.”
I wasn’t convinced. “What if we’re attacked?”
“I’ll be the closest to the door.” Jack pointed toward an empty space on the other side of the tent. “Put your sleeping bag there and sleep. It’s okay, Charlie. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
“But … .”
“Sleep.” It was an order.
“Fine,” I grumbled, spreading out my sleeping bag. “If Bigfoot attacks, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I would never say anything of the sort. Now sleep. You’ve managed to work yourself up for no reason. I promise everything will be okay in the morning.”
I wanted to believe him, but I knew what I saw. It was no dream.
Nineteen
I woke feeling unusually warm and comfortable, almost as if basking in the sun’s full warmth.
It generally takes me several minutes to gather my faculties upon regaining consciousness. This morning was no different. I stretched before scratching my cheek, frowning when my fingers brushed against something solid.
I forced my eyes open, my brain finally realizing that I wasn’t in a bed. The first thing I saw when my vision cleared was Jack’s stubbled chin. It was pressed against my forehead. I was halfway out of my sleeping bag; he was halfway out of his. During the night we must have met in the middle and wrapped ourselves around one another.
My mouth dropped open as I realized my predicament, my face pressed in the hollow between Jack’s shoulder and chest, his arm wrapped around my back. He slept hard, his breathing regular as small snores escaped his mouth. He clearly had no idea that we were entangled. The only thing I could be truly happy about was the fact that nobody’s hands looked to have wandered anywhere inappropriate.
I was gentle when I tried to shift away from Jack. Even in sleep he recognized the loss of warmth, though. He tugged me closer, making a small murmuring noise as my temple landed next to his mouth. That’s when I felt it. His body moved and tension replaced relaxation as his senses went into overdrive and he woke.
I pressed my lips together and widened my eyes, watching his profile as realization washed over him.
“What the … ?”
“So … um … was it good for you?” I had no idea why I asked the question. I was going for levity in an effort to pretend I wasn’t bothered by the sleeping arrangements. I thought if we could play it off as a joke things would be okay.
Jack clearly felt differently.
“We didn’t … did we?” His voice rose to an unnatural level and I couldn’t help but be a tad offended.
“I’m pretty sure I would remember if we did,” I said dryly. He hadn’t pushed me away from him yet and I remained trapped in his grip. “Unless … are you a minute man? Maybe we did it and I didn’t even notice.”
Jack scowled as he grabbed my shoulders and shoved me back, keeping a firm grip on the fabric of my sweatshirt and looking over my face as myriad emotions flitted through his eyes. His cheeks were flushed. Sweat began pooling on his brow despite the cool morning air. He looked completely flabbergasted.
I took it as an insult despite my best intentions. “I take it that it wasn’t good for you.”
“Stop saying that,” Jack snapped, jerking his hands back the second he realized he was still touching me. He dragged a hand through his long hair – which was unfortunately even hotter when tousled with sleep – and stared at me. “I’m so sorry.”
Of all the reactions I expected, that wasn’t even on the list. “I … you’re sorry?”
Jack nodded. “I didn’t mean to touch you. If you want to file a formal complaint with Chris, I understand.”
He was trying to be sweet and make me feel comfortable. I recogni
zed that, and yet … my fury could not be contained.
“You’re sorry?”
“I said it,” Jack said, rolling to a sitting position and glancing around the tent with furtive eyes. “I’m not sure how it happened. I’m so very sorry.”
“Jack, we slept pressed against each other,” I challenged, my voice dripping with disdain. “It’s not as if you raped me.”
Jack paled even more, which seemed impossible given his color. “That doesn’t mean this is okay.”
“What is this?” I let my gaze bounce around the tent, frustrated. “We slept in separate sleeping bags in the same tent and somehow ended up cuddled together. It’s hardly the end of the world.”
Jack didn’t look convinced. In fact, he looked near tears. It was shocking because I’d never seen him so much as break military character since our first meeting. “I’ll put in my resignation right away.”
“Oh, well, that did it.” I jerked my foot out of my sleeping bag and slammed it against his knee, causing him to cringe and pull back. “You didn’t molest me! In fact, how do you know I’m not the one who did this? I was afraid.” My mind traveled back to the figure in the woods, the branch I caused to drop. “This probably is on me. I was afraid and shouldn’t have climbed into your tent. If anyone should resign, it should be me.”
“That’s not right,” Jack argued, alarmed. “You were unsettled. It’s my job as chief of security to take care of you. This is my fault.”
“No, it’s my fault.”
Instead of abject horror, anger washed over Jack’s handsome features. Oddly enough the anger made me feel better than the pity.
“Didn’t I just say it was my fault?” Jack exploded.
“Why does it have to be anybody’s fault?” I shot back. “You didn’t touch me inappropriately. I’m pretty sure I didn’t touch you anywhere scandalous. We slept next to each other. It’s not the end of the world.”
“It feels like the end of the world.” Jack was grim. “It feels as if I took advantage of you.”
“How?”
“I … don’t know.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You’re seriously starting to bug me.”
“Have you ever considered you’re starting to bug me?”
“I certainly hope so. At least that will stop you from feeling sorry for yourself.”
I COULDN’T get out of the tent fast enough. I rolled my sleeping bag and tossed it outside, following it with a full head of steam and a truckload of aggravation. I was so lost in my own head I didn’t notice Jack until he was outside. Instead of meeting my measured gaze, he headed to the spot where I had seen the figure the night before, causing my agitation to flare in a different way.
“Do you see anything?”
Jack didn’t immediately answer, instead dropping to one knee near the foliage line. He seemed intent, and when I worked up the courage to join him he spared me a reluctant glance. “There are prints, but they’re hard to see. This is a heel here … and the ball of a foot here. I don’t see any treads.”
“Does that mean it was an animal?”
Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. Treads would indicate a human wearing a shoe or boot, but they’re not clear enough to definitively call them animal prints.”
I knelt next to him, keeping distance between us and stared at the fresh prints. “I told you I saw something.” I tried to keep from sounding accusatory. “You didn’t believe me, but … there it is.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you,” Jack groused. “I said I couldn’t see anything and you clearly weren’t attacked.”
“Oh, whatever.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “The camera is pointed in this direction. Do you think it caught anything?”
“No idea. I figure we should let Chris go through the footage. He loves that stuff.”
“I … well … okay.” I couldn’t decide if Jack wanted to hand the task over to Chris because that was the smart thing to do or he wanted to cut short any time we might spend together. I also wasn’t sure which possibility I preferred. “I guess we should start packing, huh?”
Jack nodded, his eyes narrowing as he focused on something a few feet away. I watched, curious, until he shuffled over to a fallen branch. I pursed my lips, doing my best to remain calm as he tentatively lifted the branch and stared at the splintered end.
“I think I’m going to start packing,” I offered, nervous.
Jack didn’t immediately respond, instead staring at the broken end of the branch with such intensity I couldn’t help being a bit worried.
“Jack, I’m going to pack the tents. Is that okay?”
“What?” Jack jerked his gaze from the branch and focused on me. “No. Leave the tents up. We’ll monitor this site every night. You can grab the sleeping bags.”
“Oh, um, we’re going to monitor the site? Does that mean you and I will be doing that?”
Jack’s expression was unreadable. “I meant the whole group.”
“Oh, well, good.” I searched for something to say that he wouldn’t find offensive. “That’s probably good, right?”
“I guess we’ll know when we see the video,” Jack replied after a beat. “Something clearly ripped this branch off the tree. It was high, too.”
“How do you know that?” I hoped I didn’t come off as panicked.
Jack pointed to a damaged section of the tree, a good eight feet off the ground. “I don’t know any humans who could rip that branch off like that.”
Crap! I should’ve thought about that before I used the branch as a distraction. “Maybe it just fell … you know … because it was old or something.” That sounded plausible, right?
Jack shot me a dubious look. “Do you really think that a tree that isn’t dead sheds branches like a dog does hair?”
“I’ve never really given it a lot of thought,” I admitted. “What makes you think that branch was pulled down, though? It could’ve fallen.”
“Look at the end.” Jack held it to my face so I had no choice but to stare. “The ends are ripped, Charlie. This branch was pulled off the tree, and by something extremely powerful.”
I swallowed hard. “So you think an animal did that?”
“I don’t think a human could do this,” Jack replied. “I’m not sure what kind of animal we’re dealing with, but no human is tall enough. And I doubt they’d be strong enough.”
He was right about a normal human not being able to do it. I was pretty far from normal, though. “Jack … um … .”
Jack ignored the uncertainty in my voice and stood. “Let’s grab the packs and clean up the campsite. Chris will want to hear what happened right away. This is right up his alley.”
I didn’t have much choice in the matter, so I readily agreed. “Okay. I … let’s do it.”
JACK WAITED until we pulled onto the long driveway that led to The Overlook to speak, which was beyond frustrating. I wanted to find a way to dissuade him from telling Chris about the fallen branch, but came up empty. He waited until the worst possible moment – of course! – to break from his taciturn demeanor and turn chatty.
“We need to have a quick talk.”
Jack’s tone was dour enough to cause my palms to sweat. I rubbed them against my jeans and flicked a glance in his direction. “Um … okay.”
“I’m still willing to put in my resignation over what happened,” Jack offered. “You were put in a bad position. That’s not right.”
“I don’t blame you for that. You’re really starting to irritate me with this martyr act,” I argued. “We didn’t even really touch one another. We just kind of … snuggled. It’s hardly the end of the world.”
Jack didn’t appear thrilled at the choice of the word “snuggled,” but I couldn’t think of another way to phrase it. “I wasn’t putting the moves on you.”
“Thanks. I figured that out by myself. I did it long before we accidentally decided to keep warm by sleeping next to each other.”
Jack rubbed his thumb over h
is lower lip as he pulled into a parking spot. “I’m not interested in you that way, Charlie. I think you’re a nice girl and you make me laugh sometimes, but … I’m not looking for a relationship. It’s important that you understand that.”
I knit my eyebrows, annoyed. “I didn’t think you were,” I said. “Why did you just say that?”
“What?”
“Why did you warn me that you weren’t looking for a relationship?” I pressed, annoyed. “Do you think I’m looking for a relationship?”
“That’s not what I said.” Jack shifted on his seat, clearly uncomfortable. “I simply need you to know that there’s no future for us in that manner. I’m not interested in you.”
It took me a moment to realize what he was saying. “And you think I’m interested in you?”
“I think that you … are very nice and capable,” Jack replied, choosing his words carefully. “But I’m not part of this group because I plan to date anyone. That includes you. If you’re thinking something is building here between us … I need you to know that’s not the case.”
I narrowed my eyes, momentarily wishing I could fire lasers out of them to burn him alive. “So you think I have a crush on you? Is that what you’re saying?”
“It would be normal for you to think that considering the fact that I’m a little older than you and I seem wise because I’ve been with the group longer.”
“You seem wise?” Oh, well, that was just too much! “You think you seem wise to me?”
Jack balked. “I think this is coming out wrong. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to offend you.”
I stared at him for a few beats and then opened the door, hopping out. I maintained my composure – although I have no idea how – and by the time Jack followed me to the walk that led to the inn’s front door I was feeling pretty proud of myself. He was still alive and I wasn’t about to burst into tears. That’s growth, right?
Then Jack opened his mouth again.
“You’re an attractive woman,” he supplied. “You’re just not my type of attractive.”
“Oh, well, that does it!” I planted my hands on my hips as I scorched him with a dark look. “I can’t believe you just said that!”
Witchy Dreams Page 65