“Why do we have to go back in the forest?” She groaned. “I hate that forest.” She sat dejectedly on a large piece of driftwood to don her socks and shoes. “Can’t I just stay here in a hotel nearby and wait for you?”
“Spatzi, whining does not strengthen your character no matter how hard you try.”
Chapter Seven
Hannah spent the next two hours hiking through the unruly underbrush of the forest. She constantly tripped over tree roots she suspected moved themselves directly into her path. At one point they were forced to back track because Edwin had followed the wrong trail. Deep into the night, she put her foot down—literally, she dug in her heels. “I can’t go any further.” She rubbed her sleep-deprived eyes and yawned. “You’ve got to understand that while you may be used to walking all over creation, if your splendid muscles are any indication, I’m not. My entire existence is taken up of reading books and stocking them on shelves and maybe the occasional trip to the grocery store.”
“We will stop soon. I will require rest as well.”
Of course you will. Hannah sighed and plopped down on a rotten log. Her legs finally gave out, her feet hurt, and her leg muscles burned. “This is as far as I’m going tonight, Mr. Bounty Hunter. You may do your worst to me, but I’m not moving.”
“I would imagine you will, once those carpenter ants decide to take a stroll up your pant leg,” he rejoined in a conversational tone.
As she jumped up, she knew he wore a smug little grin. She was so tired she wanted nothing more than to smack it from his handsome face. “How do you know there are ants here?” She slapped the seat of her jeans, immediately worried the annoying insects had indeed crawled on her.
Edwin’s laughter blended with the nocturnal sounds of the forest, a wonderful accompaniment to Nature’s symphony. “It is a perfectly logical assessment if you take into account the deterioration of the log, the time of year, and the fact it was rather enjoyable to see you move so quickly.”
“How rude!” With one last swat at her backside, she stuck her tongue out at him in the darkness. As she walked ahead, she peeled off her blazer and wiped her forehead with it. Damn the sticky summer air in Indiana! No wonder people in tropical islands wear skimpy clothes. “That was a dirty trick, and I don’t appreciate it.”
“There was no trick involved. It was a matter of simple deduction.”
She heard the humor in his voice, and the fact he was joking around tempered her anger. “Call it what you want, but it still doesn’t discount the fact I’m going to drop at your feet if we don’t stop to rest soon.” She launched another smile into the darkness when he twined his fingers through hers. He gently but firmly pulled her through the trees as debris crunched beneath their feet.
Since she met Edwin, she had done more in that short span of time than the last five years of her life. He was like the Army rolled into a sexy vampire form. Those days had also been the most hectic, the most strange, and the most interesting she’d experienced. Yet, he remained a puzzle. She didn’t fully understand his drive and desire to track down not only the confined vampire but also the apparent mastermind behind the disturbance in the paranormal world.
Warm tingles flittered about the periphery of her mind. Edwin probed into her thoughts again. “What do you want, and why can’t you just ask me your question like a normal person?”
His laugh warmed more than her consciousness. The little frissons of excitement that danced along her spine had nothing to do with her thoughts.
“I wanted to know if you had a preference as to where you wanted to stay.”
“You’re such a liar.” She made a big show of glancing about the darkened forest then laughed. “That wasn’t what you wanted to say.” A grin stretched her lips. She stopped walking in order to block everything else out of her mind to concentrate on his. It was almost as if she walked through a very heavy fog. She could see nothing. She could feel nothing except a thick blank wave of resistance.
If he won’t tell me, I’ll find out for myself. Hannah closed her eyes tighter. She decisively pushed her way through the murky gray wall, and then suddenly, the swirling, colorful caldron of Edwin’s thoughts surrounded her. She smiled and plunged her full consciousness into the mix.
A myriad of emotions flooded her brain—happiness, excitement, surprise. Floating on the heels of the first wave was regret, curiosity, sorrow then concluded by anger, hatred, and horror. She shuddered at the force of some of the darker emotions but managed to ignore them in order concentrate on the curiosity. Surely it was a strange and out of place emotion for a vampire hunter.
She narrowed in on the brilliant russet hue of the emotion. When she delved into it, she found what she searched for. “I would be happy to have dinner with you, but unless I’m wrong, you work during the evening. When would you have time?”
He closed her out of his mind and squeezed her fingers. “When this job is over is what I meant to say.” He guided her over a group of fallen tree limbs then through a particularly nasty stretch of mud-splattered boulders. “Whether you believe it or not, your little foray past my mental guards is a good thing. You can focus your power.”
With another yawn, she followed him through a heavy carpet of moss and decaying leaves. She wrinkled her nose at the musty dampness. “Perhaps, but really, I only had to concentrate a little bit.” What was the annual income for a vampire hunter, and how did he collect his fee?
“Come, you can barely stay upright.” He shouldered his duffle bag and took her bag as well, then tugged her toward a dark and murky section of the forest. “It appears there is a cave of sorts up ahead. It is probably the best we will get tonight.”
Hannah groaned as the cold fact she’d sleep outside sank into her overly tired brain. “Great.” She stumbled over yet another tree root. The next thing you tell me will be the state forest around Lake Michigan is in reality an enchanted forest.
Warmth around the edges of her mind must be the unusual sensation of Edwin’s laughter. Her brain shivered as if touched by a feather duster.
“Every place is enchanted to some degree, spatzi. You only need to open your mind to see.” He let go of her hand to forage around in the small cave, disappearing into the intense darkness.
She stood alone in the noisy forest and tamped down tightly at the fear that clogged her throat. Hannah wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her jeans then squinted into the emptiness around her. She tried to will Edwin to come back. He didn’t. Something was in the darkness with her. The baby-fine hairs at the back of her neck stood at attention. The nighttime noises suddenly hushed. She recalled everything she had ever learned while watching nature programs on cable. Didn’t lower species of animals grow quiet when a predator entered their area?
Hannah swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to concentrate on the area directly around her. She fumbled for her bag before it dawned on her that Edwin had taken it with him. She stepped backward. When an arm clutched her around the waist, her breath caught in her throat. Another hand covered her mouth to effectively stifle her scream.
“Quickly, come with me. Make no noise, make no sound, do nothing until I tell you it is prudent for you to do so.”
As Edwin’s voice rang in her ear, she nodded her acquiescence and relaxed somewhat. She was too frightened to enjoy the comfort of his closeness. He guided her through the underbrush to the cave, silent as the night itself.
“The shelter is not big, but it is currently unoccupied and fairly clean. Do not, under any circumstances, turn on your flashlight or do anything to provoke interest in your position.” His whispered voice brushed over her cheek, sending shivers of excitement down her spine that had nothing to do with their present situation. “Do you understand?”
Hannah nodded, acutely uneasy at the urgency in his voice. She shook off his hand. “Where are you going? I can feel something out there. Will you be in danger? Do you need my assistance? Can I—” Her flood of words broke off as Edwin claimed her lips. H
is dark, color-changing eyes flashed in the dim light of the moon. She stepped away then banged the back of her head smartly on the side of the rough cave. “Why did you...?”
“Stop talking.” He pressed a finger to her lips then leaned in close. “I may be away for a bit but do not worry. You will be protected here.”
“I demand to know where you’re going.” She clutched a fistful of his shirt, pleased when he paused.
“It would behoove you not to demand anything of me at this moment.” His eyes glittered with anger even as his voice purred in the stifling air.
She planted her hands on her hips and returned his glare. “And if you knew what’s good for you, you’d lose the attitude.”
For long moments, their eyes locked. Neither blinked. Finally, Edwin dropped his gaze. “A werewolf lurks outside our shelter. I will warn him away.”
“You’re going to fight, aren’t you?” Her pulse quickened at the prospect.
Frustration prompted his sigh. “Blows will be exchanged, and no, you cannot watch.”
Edwin stepped out of the shelter and arranged a large slab of limestone at the entrance of the cave. Hannah was happy with that arrangement because at least there was a bit of light. Apparently, he wasn’t done. He piled branches and foliage around the rest of the opening, which effectively shut out any leftover illumination. She was plunged into a total and complete darkness so thick she found it hard to breathe.
Her head pounded. She gingerly explored the small lump that quickly formed and frowned. “Bastard.” He’d only kissed her to shut her up—again. Heat flushed her cheeks at how easily she could be manipulated by him. But she couldn’t help the small ribbon of pleasure that slithered through her gut at the thought of him. Even now, as she pondered the dimple in his cheek, warmth spread through her body.
Annoyed, she banished him from her mind.
Moving to the limestone door, she expelled good energy in an attempt to move it. Her wish to see Edwin fight was thwarted by her lack of upper arm strength. She dropped to her hands and knees, exhausted. She felt around the relatively cool limestone floor of the small cave for her bag, and she sneezed once at the fine dirt she disturbed.
The cave itself wasn’t large, just as he’d said. Being only an approximate ten feet in length, Hannah located their bags quickly enough but banged her forehead on the low ceiling in the process. She stretched her hands above her head. She couldn’t stand to her full height, which meant it was probably more difficult for Edwin.
She hated being alone in the dark. As she strained her ears to hear outside, she was rewarded by the intermittent sound of the locusts as they performed their mating rituals. With one last hope that he could indeed handle the disturbance, she stretched out as comfortably as she could on the stone floor with her bag a cradle for her head, and then drifted into a fitful sleep.
*****
“Hannah, come to me. I’m waiting for you.” The voice called to her through the haze of her mind, the gentleness betrayed by the plague of darkness it conjured. “You can be a very powerful woman if you join us.” She shook her head. The man before her laughed, a terrible, grating evil sound. “I’m giving you the opportunity to join with me because if you do not, there will be more deaths.” With a slight movement of his finger, a door to her right opened. Edwin fell forward into the room to land on his knees, his hands tied behind his back. “Let’s just say that if you don’t join me, I’ll start by killing him.”
Edwin stirred as Hannah thrashed in his arms. In her relaxed state of sleep, he had been able to tap into her thoughts with ease. The dream troubled him, not only because he was in it, but also for the simple fact that Andre was becoming aggressive in his pursuit of her.
“Please, let him go. I’ll do anything you ask, just leave him alone.”
His chest tightened with an unidentified emotion. Even in sleep, she strove to protect him. But, he would do the same for her. “It is all right, spatzi. You are not in danger. We are safe for the time being.” He whispered the words near the shell of her ear, pleased when she relaxed against him.
“It was a dream?”
“Yes. Andre appears to be very concerned. He now uses me to get to you.” He pulled her flush against him so his body cradled hers from behind.
“When do we leave?” Fatigue colored her voice. Her tiredness in his mind left lavender streaks.
“It is raining. You would not wish to hike through the rain, so I did not wake you when I returned.” He shifted her in his arms and let his fingers drift absently over the curve of one hip. “You may as well catch up on your sleep.” Something akin to contentment filled him as they rested together. She would not be easy to dissuade.
“What happened last night? What was out there? Was there a fight? Were you hurt?”
His laughter echoed around the cave. “I am unharmed and unhurt, but yes, there was a fight. I had a run-in with a werewolf I know.” He paused long enough to brush his lips against her ear. “He was merely lost. Once I got his attention with a few well-directed punches he went on his way.”
Hannah sucked in a breath. “There are were-people in this forest?” She stiffened in his arms. “Is he a friend of yours? Do you often hobnob with supernatural beings?”
He traced calming circles on her arm. “Do you wish me to quiet you now as I did last night? I must admit it was the most efficient way to ensure your silence.”
“Would that be such an awful event?”
The wistful tone in her voice made his gut twist with guilt. “I do not wish to become involved with you.” He hoped she would understand.
The steady drum of the rain on their temporary shelter was the only sound for many moments. Edwin attempted to read her mind, but she had learned to build her guards well. “Hannah…”
“Of course you don’t. How foolish of me to even entertain such a thought. You’ve told me twice you don’t seek out relationships. I respect that.”
He had forgotten females required care and kid gloves when emotions became engaged. “Hannah—”
“It was ludicrous of me to think someone of your caliber would be interested in someone as plain and unappealing and as human as me.”
My poor, lost little sparrow. His sigh stirred tendrils of her hair. “Turn around and look at me.” He wished to give her what little comfort he could.
“No.” Damn you for making me sleep on this stupid cave floor! She squirmed in his arms. “Let me go.”
He hid his amusement. “Please turn around.” Her accelerated breathing. But she turned in his arms, her lips mere inches from his own. He resisted a powerful urge to kiss her inviting mouth. No good would come of such an action or the emotions that would inevitably happen regardless that he’d hinted at such.
Hannah’s nervous laughter filled the silence. “Ignore my last comment. I’m obviously still too tired to function properly.” She attempted to extricate herself from his embrace, but he held her tight.
“Spatzi, listen to me.” He traced a line across her cheek then gently plucked a small twig from her hair. “I do not wish to become involved with you at this time for the simple fact I would feel guilty if you were to be harmed in some way.” He gave her a smile, not knowing if she could see it. “Whether you believe me or not, I am trying my best to keep you safe. It is the least I can do after I coerced you to come with me.”
She cocked an eyebrow. “Really. Would I be in immediate danger by you or by someone we might encounter on this outrageous quest?”
Need sprang to life low in his belly as she brushed her fingers over the stubble on his jaw. He stilled her hand. “I am not a play-thing.” He captured her gaze with his. Confusion filled her express. “You face an almost daily threat from the paranormal world because you are an Enhancer and that threat does not lessen while you are in my company.” With a small amount of pressure, he eased her onto her back, and leaned over her with his weight held slightly above her on his arms. “Believe me when I tell you, I am a dangerous man. I wou
ld never forgive myself if I were to relinquish my strict control and harm you.”
“I don’t think you are capable of such a thing.”
When she laid a palm on his cheek, he had to muster every ounce of determination he possessed not to kiss her. “You would be surprised at what I am capable of, Hannah.” He held her gaze. “But I invite you to seek the answers to your questions. Now is a good as time as any.”
*****
The depths of his eyes swirled about Hannah’s consciousness to suck her into the whirling vortex of his soul.
As she stared at endless sadness and self-loathing, which seemed to be the foundation of his being, she was reluctant to admit he could be dark or dangerous. Blinking, a golden glimmer of hope flared into the misery. It skittered around the blackness, and then receded into gray anonymity once again. She closed her eyes against the churning onslaught and shook her head as dull emotions swept through her mind.
“You’re wrong. You may think you’re dangerous because people have told you that enough times, and you believe it.” Her eyes fluttered open to encounter the dimple in his left cheek. That dimple made all the difference in his face, turning him from a soulless tormented hunter into a compassionate, humor-filled man with a crappy job. “I don’t believe it. Tell me why you think you could harm me?”
“I had hoped I would not have to reveal my secret to you until much later, but I am finding you have quite the gift for being pushy.” He grinned and the dimple deepened. “You have my permission to seek the farthest corners of my mind, but be warned. You will not enjoy what you find there. I will not blame you if you want to run.”
Hannah frowned. A trace of fear skimmed over her like the wings of a moth. “Why don’t you just tell me your secret?”
His sigh was heavy as he tweaked her nose. “The only other woman I told became consumed with terror. I never saw her again. It would be more efficient if you would tap into my thoughts and find out for yourself.”
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