by Nicole Hall
Shadows, she realized with a jolt, that fell in the wrong direction if they were headed back to her house.
Sera pulled Jake to a stop. “The light is wrong.”
“I know.”
“What do you know?”
Jake sighed. “Fine, you’ll figure it out soon enough. Time works differently in the fairy trods. Their words, not mine. It’s probably right around sundown now.”
“We were in the woods for a full day?”
“Sort of. A day’s worth of time passed, but I’d say we were tromping around for an hour and a half or so. Maybe two hours tops.” He tugged until she started moving again.
“I think I must be in shock because at this point I’m accepting every weird thing you tell me.”
“And letting me lead you to your doom.” He cackled evilly.
“That’s not funny.”
“It’s totally funny.” He looked her over, and his eyes turned serious. “You’re taking this pretty well actually.”
“I’ve been plagued by strange occurrences my whole life. While this is by far the strangest, at least it finally offered an explanation for the rest of them.”
They walked out of the woods two doors up from where they’d gone in. When Sera looked, she couldn’t see any sign of the trod, but then again, the sun was dropping behind the houses shrouding everything in darkness.
Jake stopped short of the road. His house was closer, but he was staring at hers. A new car had replaced Ryan’s in her driveway. Clearly, it was a day for visitors. A man stood on her porch, and though she couldn’t make out his face, she knew it was pinched in annoyance. Will hated waiting for anything except himself.
The air wasn’t really chilly, it was Texas after all, but Sera shivered as the sun set. It had been one hell of a day, and her ability to deal with any more bullshit was down to nothing. She hadn’t given Will her new address, hadn’t even told him she was moving out of her mom’s place. Fifteen hundred miles wasn’t enough to get away from him apparently.
“Someone you know?”
“Yes.” Sera belatedly realized Jake was still holding her hand and drew away. He let her this time. She’d gotten so used to the warmth of him that the cool air against her palm felt strange.
“You want me to come along?”
“No.”
“Now who’s talkative.”
Sera raised a brow at him. “Don’t think you’re getting off easy. I appreciate the reprieve, but when I’m done dealing with Will, you and I are going to have a real discussion.”
Jake watched her with knowing eyes. “You don’t have to do everything yourself, you know.”
“This is none of your business.”
“What if I want it to be my business?”
“We don’t always get what we want.”
He looked at her porch again, then nodded. “Fine. Come over after for dinner and a beer, and we’ll talk.”
“Okay, but no stuff about magical bonds or things that happened seven years ago. And I’m not staying out late, I’m already wiped.”
Jake saluted and marched back to his mower. She noticed he didn’t agree to her conditions, but she also had no intention of giving up or running away this time, and they’d have to talk about their past at some point. He also had volumes more knowledge about the Fae than she did, and it was time she was brought up to speed. There were plenty of things Jake had that she wanted, but she had to be careful not to offer more than she was willing to give. Friendship, yes, but she had a feeling he’d like more than that.
Sera squared her shoulders and blew out a breath. Will first, then Jake.
The mower roared to life as she made her way home. She could feel Jake watching her as he circled the yard again. Will spotted her as she walked past Jake’s mailbox and onto her property. He stayed where he was, slouched against a pillar on the porch, but his face smoothed into a look of worry rather than annoyance. His grey suit was rumpled, and anyone who didn’t know him would probably find it disarming. She knew better than to believe any image he presented.
“Sera, there you are. I’ve been waiting for hours. I was getting worried you’d had another episode.”
She figured today could be called that. “So you thought you’d loiter on my porch?”
He straightened up and fixed his tie. “Is that any way to greet your husband?”
“You’re not my husband. You’re not my friend. Get off my property.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know why I’m here?”
“No. Go away.” She climbed the steps past him as the porch light came on. There was a subtle glow inside the window, and Sera wondered if sprites could turn lights on and off. Will moved into her space, and whether it was sprites or a timer, all that mattered was she was no longer standing in the dark with him.
“Why don’t we go inside and talk like adults?” His tone was tender, but Sera could hear the annoyance underneath. He didn’t wait for her to answer, just crowded her out of his way and turned to open her door. The doorknob twisted smoothly under his hand, but the door wouldn’t budge.
Sera knew she hadn’t left it locked and silently cursed herself for not taking such a basic precaution. It wasn’t something she’d forget again, especially since Will now knew where she lived. He jerked the knob a few times, then tried shoving it with his shoulder. No luck, and Sera couldn’t help her smile. She guessed sprites could lock doors as well as turn on lights.
Score one for the sprites.
Will blew out a frustrated breath and turned on her. “You think this is funny?” The gentle concern was gone, revealing the anger she’d known was there.
“Yes, and if you don’t leave in the next thirty seconds, I’m calling the police.”
She was out of practice, but after Torix, Will seemed small and pathetic. Although, he was still bigger than her, and she’d forgotten not to stand too close. His hand wrapped around her upper arm, and he pulled her against him. Pain that was too familiar shot through her shoulder, and she had to fight down the fear that was threatening to take over.
“You’re still my wife, papers or no, and the police will believe what I tell them. That you got confused, just like before.” He glanced at the house then shook her hard enough to rattle her teeth. “You never could listen. I have documents that give me half of your inheritance from your grandmother. We weren’t officially divorced when she died, so it’s legally mine. You’re going to sign them, then you’re going to get your ass in the car and we’re going to go to a nice dinner. If we can even find a decent restaurant in this backwoods hell hole.”
Sera gritted her teeth. Evie had died five weeks ago, and the final divorce papers had come about the same time. She really should have paid better attention, but there was no way he was getting his hands on Evie’s house.
“Kiss my ass, Will.” She was seconds away from kicking him in the balls when Jake shouted from the yard.
“Hey! Get your hands off her.”
Will’s grip loosened. Sera pulled her arm back and took a couple of big steps away from him. It was kind of reminiscent of the scene that morning. Before the world had gone crazy. Jake leapt up the three steps, and Sera put both hands on his chest to keep him from going right at Will.
“Jake, calm down.” A part of her shriveled at being reduced to pacifying someone’s anger again. She braced for Jake to push past her and take a swing at Will, but he shifted his focus. His blazing eyes met hers and he lifted a hand to brush his thumb across her cheek.
“Are you alright?”
Sera nodded as his hand slid down her neck, leaving tingles in its wake. Her arm throbbed, but she barely noticed it. Her adrenaline was hyped up for a battle, and instead of the thrill of finally fighting back, she was wrestling with her attraction to Jake. Something she’d been sure she’d purged years ago.
Will cleared his throat, and they broke eye contact. Jake stepped between her and Will, who was still standing at her door. Sera hadn’t noticed before, but Jake looked
big standing in front of Will’s more academic build. Huh.
“The lady asked you to leave,” Jake was deceptively calm.
Will gave him a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You misunderstood. We’re in the middle of a discussion, and Sera can sometimes get hot-headed.” He looked past Jake to address Sera directly. “We can finish this later. I have other business here anyway. Enjoy your dalliance. It’ll be worth it to watch you crawl back to me.”
Sera’s eyes narrowed, and Jake kept himself between them, turning with Will as he strode past them and down the front path without a second glance.
She liked to think he would have left even if Jake hadn’t intervened, and without calling the police, but experience said it was unlikely. It wasn’t until Will’s car started and he drove away that Sera’s shoulders relaxed.
“That’s twice now I’ve had to ask a man to take his hands off you today,” Jake said.
Sera’s racing heart was returning to normal and with it came exhaustion. “Guess I’m just popular.”
“Was that your ex-husband?”
She ran a hand through her tangled hair. “Yes. He has a problem respecting personal space. Or people in general.”
“Sounds like a real piece of work. What was your plan if I hadn’t been here?”
The question sounded like basic curiosity, but Sera heard the undertone of scolding. She wasn’t about to be accosted by one man then berated about it by another. “It doesn’t matter, does it? You were here to play the mighty hero. Thanks for that, by the way, but next time mind your own damn business. I can take care of myself.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Yeah, you really looked like you had it handled. I should let him toss you around then? Maybe more? Didn’t know you were into that kind of thing. My apologies.”
“Don’t be a dick. There are more options besides damsel in distress or kinky sex games.”
Jake threw his hands in the air. “I was trying to help.”
“I didn’t ask you to help. I’m not a child.”
His gaze trailed down her body, lingered on her curves, her lips, then settled on her face. “I’m well aware of that fact, Sera.”
Sera was angry and tired, but his gaze left fire in its wake. Where Will had been predatory and possessive, Jake was caring and appreciative, and that made all the difference. That and the magic that bound them together. She should have asked Zee for more details about the effects of the bond, but one thing was clear. It gave her a one hundred percent accurate reading on Jake’s intentions.
They were both still for a moment. The sprites twinkled around them on the porch. Wind rustled the trees in the pregnant silence. They were on the edge of something, and it wouldn’t take much to fall over.
“I have to be able to take care of myself. You won’t always be around.” Her voice sounded husky. She was pleading, but she wasn’t sure what for.
Jake moved closer. Sera stepped back until she bumped against the door, but Jake didn’t stop until he was directly in front of her, standing in her space. She wondered if the bond told him how much she liked it the way it told her how much he was trying to hold back.
He shook his head. “It hasn’t always been that way. There was a time I would have followed you to the end of the Earth.”
“That was years ago, things change.”
Sera caught her breath as he gingerly lifted her arm and looked at the finger-sized bruises blooming there. “I can see that.” His thumb caressed the skin above her elbow. “You’ve always been fiercely independent, but I wish I’d gotten here sooner all the same.”
Sera never realized her elbow could be so sensitive. It had never failed before, so why should it be any different now? Give them five minutes alone together, and they’d have their hands on each other.
She wanted him. Sera didn’t want to, but she did. It was stupid not to admit it when the bond wouldn’t let them hide. He crowded her against the door, both of them breathing hard, and all she knew was need. She wanted his hands on her, his mouth, his body. It had been a long time since she’d felt this way. Maybe not since their last night together before she’d run.
Jake let go of her arm and put both palms flat on the door on either side of her. He dropped his head down and took a couple of careful deep breaths. Sera clenched her fists to keep from grabbing him, but his scent surrounded her. His mouth was inches above hers, all she had to do was tilt her face up.
“I missed you.” Jake’s admission whispered through to the heart of her.
She tilted.
Her lips met his and sparked an explosion of movement. His hands slid into her hair and held her head still as he demanded entrance to her mouth. Her arms circled around his waist, fingers digging into the cotton on his back, and she opened for him. He tasted like she remembered, like cinnamon gum and home. Sera made a noise deep in her throat, and he lifted her thighs to brace her against the door. She wrapped her legs around his hips and arched into him.
Jake’s lanky body had changed into broad shoulders and lean muscles, and Sera couldn’t get enough. She was frustrated by the layers of clothes between them, and groaned in approval when his hands slipped under her shirt. Her legs tightened as his calluses caught her skin, his thumbs rubbing along the bottom edge of her bra.
She squeaked as the door swung open behind her. They fell inward, but Jake shifted at the last second and took the brunt of the fall against the hardwood floor. His chest shook underneath her, and Sera realized he was laughing. The moment was broken, but she was strangely content to lie on top of him in the foyer.
“Never a dull moment around here.”
“I swear that door was locked when Will tried to open it.”
“Your house is infested with sprites.”
“I didn’t realize they could make things happen in the real world.”
“They’re magic. Only the Fae know what they can really do. Then again, they might be limited to opening doors.”
Sera laughed. “Think they’ll close the door for us too?”
With one quick movement, Jake flipped her under him, and her laughter faded at the look in his eyes. That was all it took to reignite the fire. His body covered hers from ankle to chest, and she could feel his hardness pressing against her center. They were both teetering again, but now neither seemed eager to push it further.
He trailed his fingers down her neck, and she shivered. “I always loved this spot on your collarbone.” His hair tickled her face as he laid a soft kiss on the place his fingers had vacated.
“And the spot under your ear that makes you moan.” Another kiss. She pressed her lips together to keep from making the noise he’d known would happen.
“And—"
She stopped him with her fingers against his lips. If he kept going, she was going to regret it. “This is too much. I haven’t even been back a day, and it feels like everything and nothing has changed. I’ve only been divorced for a little over a month, and I’m not the same person I was before. We don’t actually know anything about each other anymore. I… I need some time.”
He kissed her fingertips, and she let her hand fall back to her chest. “Okay.”
Relief and disappointment washed over her in equal measure. Most of it was hers, but some of it was his too. “I think you need time as much as I do,” she whispered.
“Maybe. You’re right that this is going at breakneck speed, but it doesn’t matter if I know this version of you or not. If you need me, I will always be there for you. You tell me when you’re ready.”
Sera knew he was waiting for some kind of answer. He wanted a clear sign of how to move forward. It was so tempting to give in to Jake. To not have to fight for a little bit. She’d lost years of her life being told she was incompetent, weak, crazy. Then pills had kept her foggy and compliant during her last bit of time with Will. In the end, she’d clawed her way back to herself, and it terrified her to give any of that kind of power to another person again.
There was bare
ly a breath between them, but Sera couldn’t make herself cross the distance. “I need you to go home, Jake.”
“Okay.” He brushed his lips against hers, once, twice, then levered himself up.
Sera propped up on her elbows. She couldn’t leave it at that. “You still owe me an explanation.”
He grinned. “You still owe me a dinner.”
“What? You invited me!”
He kept on grinning as he walked out. The door shut soundly after him, and the lock clicked into place. Sera stared at the spot where he’d disappeared for one more moment, then flopped back on the floor, arms spread eagle, and blew a lock of hair out of her face. Tiny golden glimmers fluttered around. Sera shook her head. The sprites were clearly going to be trouble, but at least they had good taste in men.
JAKE
Jake’s smile lasted well after he crossed the lawn back to his place, well after dinner and the dishes. Even well into a show he turned on but didn’t feel like watching. His mind circled around and back to Sera. Always Sera.
In frustration, he turned off the tv and tossed the remote onto the coffee table. He was too wired to sleep, but he didn’t want to bother Ryan for a second night in a row to talk about what Ryan would probably just call his ‘lady troubles.’ Besides, he had to teach in the morning and was most likely sleeping off the afternoon. Apparently, it took being chased by a wolf for Ryan to add some endurance when he ran.
The sprites were gathering near the window facing Sera’s house again. He didn’t know why they didn’t go over there instead of hovering in his place. According to Ryan, sprites didn’t do anything beyond appear and float around like moths. But it definitely seemed like they’d opened the door earlier, and he could have sworn they were laughing at him and Sera sprawled on the floor of her entryway.
That had been some quality sprawling.
Jake blew out a breath and headed to the garage. If nothing else, he could work on his side gig. He’d taken over the woodworking shop from his dad long before they’d left for Europe. The man was brilliant at construction, but his art was terrible. Jake’s was much better, at least that’s what his clients seemed to think.