by Scott, Amber
Elijah’s posture relaxed. Was he laughing? “Shh. You’re safe. I won’t let you fall. Calm down, Sadie. If you scream again, you’ll shock me again and I’ll drop you again. I can’t risk another transport.”
Sadie’s body relaxed. Her pulse slowed. She became aware of his hard chest and taut waist. What she wouldn’t give for time to spin backward. Not even to two years back. Two weeks would thrill her at this point. Her and Ben and books and nothing but a silly crush.
“Sadie,” Elijah said, his voice tentative. “Sadie, open your eyes.”
Memories of her dreams flashed through her. Their naked bodies entwined. His tongue licking up her thighs. His fingers flicking her tightening nipples. An ache throbbing between her legs begging for that hot, wet tongue to lave bliss over her.
“Sadie,” Elijah said softly. His mouth grazed her shoulder.
She shivered.
“Hey, open your eyes. We’re on solid ground.”
She did. Behind him, the blue sky seemed to stretch to eternity. Her legs released his waist. Her feet touched the cold dirt. They stood atop a red, desert butte. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but this? “Where have you taken me?” she asked and stepped back.
For miles, all she saw was red, jagged desert and cloudless sky. Jen would freak out if she found Sadie gone.
“Relax, remember?” He cupped her face. “I’m sorry. It’s the best safe place for the moment. I hate to leave you like this but I promise, I’ll come back for you.”
“Leave? Be back? Don’t you dare!” But he flashed away before the words left her gaping mouth.
Her pajama pants billowed in the breeze. She put her palms to her aching head and paced. Vampires, immortal realms, wings, flying. Dear God. Standing in the middle of the desert, cold, wondering what a changeling was. Did she even have a choice?
Did she really want a choice?
One thing was certain. This was real.
A changeling. Sadie remembered the night she’d cut her back two years ago and the bizarre thoughts that had driven her to it. She’d been trying to release something trapped within her.
She put a hand to her stomach. Too many questions swirled in her throbbing head, making her sick. The scars on her back burned nearly as much as one thought: If Elijah didn’t come back for her, how in the world would she get back home?
*
Elijah landed on the skyscraper’s rooftop ledge. Holly and Lyric arrived, Lyric pulling his air-cycle to a screeching halt a few feet away. “Where is Sadie?” Holly asked, hopping off the bike.
“She’s safe,” Elijah said.
“What went wrong?” Lyric asked, un-strapping his helmet but remaining straddled on the air-bike.
“Someone is after Sadie. Another changeling might have discovered what Sadie is.”
“Another changeling?” Holly strode to his side, confusion clear in her concerned gaze.
“Yes. Or so she claimed when I found her stalking Sadie.”
Holly crossed her arms, the fire in her hair burning bright, licking in the wind. Lyric arched one eyebrow. “Nice show of trust, brother.”
He should have told them sooner. He knew that. He’d hoped the changeling would prove no more than a nuisance. “Some days ago, I caught what I assumed was a wolf shifter following Sadie. She claimed she was no shifter at all but a changeling, like Sadie. She claimed she recognized what Sadie was becoming.”
Lyric spat, throwing hands up. “For fuck’s sake, Elijah! How do you expect us to help if you keep secrets like this? If there are others, Sadie is in more danger than we first thought. Imagine what High Council, what the Illeautians alone will do.”
“Lyric,” Holly warned. “What matters is we know now. And what we do about it.”
“He’s right to be mad,” Elijah said. “This means others know about Sadie. It means she isn’t the only one like her.” He didn’t need to spell out the uproar humans evolving into immortals would cause. The Illeautians viewed mortals as parasitic. Immortal code strictly upheld the separation of realms. “We have to capture her.”
“She attacked Sadie?” Lyric pressed.
“She shifted as a wolf and terrorized Sadie. I stopped her. She denied being a shifter, called herself a changeling and disappeared. She’s been lingering, slipping on and off my trace ever since. She leaves no signature behind to follow.”
Holly fumed. “I think we should first focus on making Sadie safe. I’ll prepare Astrid for her arrival.”
Elijah considered it a moment. The urge to hide Sadie nearly overshadowed logical sensibility. He had to think clearly. Like a hunter. He had to trust his instincts. Lyric’s eyes narrowed on him. Sadie wasn’t going to like this. “There’s no other option. To divert our trace meet us at South Mountain peak first. Agreed?”
Lyric’s lips thinned but he nodded, as did Holly.
Elijah teleported back to the high bluff he left Sadie standing.
She was gone.
~ ~ ~
Chapter Eleven
The sharp flash of Elijah’s return hurt Sadie’s eyes. He’d come back. Her waves of anxiety ebbed away, giving way to keen irritation. Sadie pursed her lips, watching and—enjoying seeing Elijah jerk his head right and left, panicked.
Served him right. She huddled lower behind the outcropping, protected from the wind. Her legs involuntarily shook as the irritation surged past her fear.
She couldn’t have climbed down even if she had shoes on. He must have known that. Elijah spun again, searching. She let him suffer.
A static-like sensation prickled over her skin. The same sensation from before she shocked Elijah into her bedroom wall. “Breathe, Sadie,” she told herself. “Don’t shock yourself off the hilltop.”
He grabbed for something dangling from a chain around his neck. He cursed, his wings opening wide. Sadie feared he’d leave again and stood up. “Over here.”
Elijah whirled around. “Sadie! I couldn’t trace you! Never do that again.”
“Do what again? Protect myself from the elements? How about you never do that again instead?”
“Your safety comes first.”
“Try a hotel room next time.”
“The vortexes near here create a sort of shield. Enough that even I lost your vibration.”
Sadie didn’t know what to say to that. “Yeah, well, shoes, or a jacket next time, okay? Better yet, let’s skip the next time part.”
He looked at her feet and winced. “Agreed,” Elijah said, reaching for her.
Sadie pulled back. “Huh-uh. I’m not going anywhere with you. Not until you explain what is going on.”
“I have.”
“No. I don’t mean all that ‘immortal realm’ changeling crap, which, fine, I’ll deal with that later.” She crossed her arms over her breasts, the cold wind making her nipples hurt. “What else is going on here? If I’m in danger, I deserve to know why.”
“You sound like you doubt me.” Elijah tipped his head, frowning at her.
“Not doubtful. Ticked off.” Between gusts of cold wind, the bright sun stung her eyes, but felt divine on her skin. “You said the choice was mine, then you blipped me out of my own room before actually letting me decide. Oh and then, don’t forget, you leave me without so much as a single word of explanation out in the middle of nowhere, barefoot, in pajamas no less, for any vulture or rattlesnake or scorpion or—.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m new to this rescue business, Sadie. In my defense, I was gone less than five minutes.”
“Five, my ass. More like twenty. And, so you know, this does not qualify as a rescue,” she said, gesturing at her feet in the hard dirt. First her sister, now him? She didn’t need people making decisions for her. “Contrary to what everyone thinks, I don’t need rescuing.”
Elijah’s lips thinned. She didn’t miss the warning glint in his eyes and didn’t care. Chin up, she stood her ground.
“Again, you’re right.” He crossed his arms. The curves of his wings ros
e behind his shoulders, making his jacket shift at the shoulders. “I haven’t explained everything. There’s much more you’ll need to know.”
“Gee, you think?”
A grin tugged his mouth. He thought this was funny? Her anger cinched up a notch and alongside it came a terrible sense of satisfaction.
She liked making him grin? Not good. She reminded herself that dream Elijah was just that. A dream. Gone now.
“I can safely take us to a more comfortable place first, if you like. It won’t be a quick explanation.”
Sadie shook her head. “I’ve got all day.”
“Fine, but in the meantime, don’t make any sudden movements. That snake you mentioned a moment ago is within striking distance.”
Sadie froze. “Whe—whi—what?”
Elijah pointed one finger, his gaze on to the ground behind her.
“Okay, okay. I changed my mind. Get us out of here!”
His wicked grin told her he was screwing with her. Then she landed with an “oomph” back on her own bed.
“You tricked me!”
Elijah put a finger to his lips then pointed at her door. Sadie listened.
“It’s Jen. She got home right when you kidnapped me, remember? Before you ditched me in the desert?”
He shook his head. “No. Jen has a more melodic tone about her. This woman vibrates differently. Human, but definitely someone else.”
“Shit.” Sadie didn’t have time to analyze the stab of jealousy over Jen’s ‘melodic tone’. “It’s Heather, my sister. What the hell is she doing here?”
“You were sick. Maybe she’s checking on you?”
“Yeah, right.” A sweat broke over her neck. She checks on me regardless. “God, she will totally freak if she sees you. Wait, can she see you?”
Heather called from out near the kitchen. “Jen? Sadie?”
“I’m not a ghost, Sadie. It’s just the wings that mortals can’t perceive.” He half chuckled. “To her, I’ll be as human as she is.” He leaned against one wall and the luminous span retracted under the slits in his jacket and shirt. “Better?”
“No,” Sadie hissed. “You have to leave. I can’t have some random guy in my bedroom. Go!”
“You’re a grown woman, remember? I refuse to leave you alone.” His jaw set nearly as stubbornly as his gaze. “Once I explain, you’ll thank me.”
“Fine, stay. Just hide somewhere. Go flash into another room or something. A closet.” Footsteps clicked down the hallway’s tiled floor. “Please!”
“Sadie?” Heather called, knocking hard on the door.
“Elijah, go,” Sadie hissed, going for the door to try to stop Heather from entering. But as she brushed past him, the door opened. In walked her sister, suspicion oozing from her every pore. “Heather! Hi.”
“Who are you talking to?”
Sadie glanced back. Elijah was gone. “Uh, to you?”
Heather’s eyes became slits of doubt. “I heard you talking to someone.”
“Oh that. To myself, is all.” Really, who cared how crazy Heather thought she was? After that tidal wave of relief, Heather could second-guess Sadie all day long. “You know how I like to talk to myself. But don’t worry. The voices don’t answer yet.”
Her joke fell between them like a stone. Heather scowled so hard it hurt to watch. “Why haven’t you returned my texts or phone calls?”
“When did you call?”
“Don’t give me that. It’s been days, Sadie. For all I knew you were wandering the streets barefoot in nothing but your pajamas.”
A high pitch giggle escaped Sadie. “No wandering here. I was sick is all. Didn’t Jen tell you?”
“Jen hasn’t called me either. I should have known. You two are up to something.” Heather sat in a huff onto Sadie’s bed, her foot shaking up a storm.
Wherever Elijah had gone to, Sadie owed him one. Heather would never buy a hot guy hanging out in Sadie’s room. They’d have to be caught having sex and Heather would still call Dr. Meyers. “I had the flu. How is that being up to something?”
Heather rolled her eyes and got back up. She went to Sadie’s closet and flung the door open. Sadie gasped. Heather faced her, eying her reaction. Sadie snapped her mouth shut. “I heard you talking to someone and I swear I heard a man’s voice.”
Another high giggle twittered out of Sadie. “Are you kidding me?”
Heather crouched to the floor and peered under Sadie’s bed. That was enough.
“If there was a man in my bedroom, what business would it be of yours and why in the world would I make him hide?”
Heather paused, frowning. “I’m simply worried for you, Sadie. Don’t make me out to be some villain.”
“Well, in case you have forgotten yet again, I am not twelve and you are not my mother. You are my baby sister. And I’m a grown woman.”
Heather gave her that placating look, setting Sadie’s nerves on edge. “Did you vomit?”
“Vomit? When?”
“You said you had the flu.”
The hairs on Sadie’s nape stood on end. “Yes, I did. Why?” But she knew why. The meds.
“We had better call Dr. Fox. Your medication levels could be compromised.”
“I already called him,” she lied, biting her lower lip when it began to tremble, a sure giveaway.
“Really?” Heather asked, her voice drenched in sarcasm. “And what did he say?”
“Double my dose for two days, then resume my regular schedule.”
“Sadie, do I need to start counting your pills again? Because I will. If you’re going to lie to me, I can’t help but assume the worst. I cannot trust you to live on your own because I need to keep you safe. Can’t you see that?”
“Stop! I don’t need you to keep me safe. I am perfectly fine. Why can’t you see that?”
Heather backed up a pace. “You seem combative. Maybe we should table this until our appointment Friday.”
Sadie raked her fingers through her hair. The last thread of her patience snapped. “Sure. Fine, Heather. Can you leave now?” Was that her mantra today?
A soft knock grabbed both their attention. Sadie sagged a little. Thank God, Jen must be back.
“Sadie?” Elijah said, knocking again so the door fell open. He stepped into the room. His wet hair dripped down his naked chest, down his navel, down the thing dark trail of hair to a towel that barely fit around his gloriously muscled hips.
Sadie gulped.
“I’m sorry,” Elijah said. “I didn’t realize we had company.”
Had the world tipped off its axis or had the most delectable specimen of male entered her bedroom half naked? Heather’s indrawn breath snapped Sadie’s daze back into crisp focus.
Elijah stepped to her side and wound an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Her stomach turned into warm watery goo. A shimmer of wings glinted behind him. He smelled like soap and oh-so-male.
“Hi,” Elijah said, offering Heather his hand. “I’m Elijah.”
Heather jerked her gaze to Sadie. That damned twittering giggle escaped Sadie again. All she could do was shrug.
“I’m Heather, Sadie’s sister.” She didn’t take his hand. “But I’m sure she’s told you all about me. I, on the other hand, have no idea who you are.”
Even if Sadie got her mouth moving, nothing but stuttering would have made it out. She had no idea what to say and part of her thrilled at seeing her sister squirm. The fog of desire creeping up her limbs as Elijah drew her to his wet chest further crippled her speech.
“So, if Sadie had the flu, you must be, what? Her nurse?”
Elijah’s head fell back. His throaty chuckle reverberated through Sadie’s chest. He wound her body tighter into the curl of his arm. He kissed her temple. Sadie’s eyes fluttered over the shivering heat. Heather’s chin jutted out further.
“I suppose nurse is one way to put it,” Elijah said, tucking a finger under Sadie’s chin, tilting her face to his. “All better now, right Sadie?”
Her heart jumped up her throat and stuck there, hope hammering away. The entire world could be watching and she wouldn’t notice. She only saw his lips, parted and curved, his eyes, intense and penetrating. Heather said something sarcastic. Sadie’s brain missed it. Anticipation roared in her veins. Elijah bent and kissed her.
His lips melded to hers and pleasure sparkled up her chest. He tantalized each lip, suckling them, one by one, into his mouth, teasing each with his tongue. Sadie wound her arms around his neck and hungrily accepted the kiss. He laughed into her mouth. She breathed in his air. His tongue darted inside and met hers.
Sadie moaned. He tasted like tart, sweet lemons. His wet chest pressed her breasts. His towel knot pushed her belly. Sadie’s knees buckled, but his arms supported her weight so she could regain her footing.
The world dissolved. Her hips found his and pressed, searching for the hardness her body craved. His lips and tongue twirled her mind into a pleasure spin.
Then he pinched her arm, hard. “Ouch,” she said, jerking back. But Elijah hadn’t pinched her.
Heather had.
“Can I please speak with you alone?” Heather said, her eyes on Elijah.
“Don’t mind me,” he said as Heather and Sadie exited. “I’ll get dressed while you two talk.”
Leaving those arms proved no easy feat, especially seeing hints of alarm in Elijah’s expression. The sound of the main garage door opening bolstered Sadie when she and Heather reached the living room. Jen was home, for real this time.
Heather yanked on her arm.
“Don’t grab me like that, Heather,” she said, pulling her arm away. “What is your problem?”
“My problem is you are keeping secrets from me, lying about your medication. You have probably gone off your meds, have now hooked up with some random guy who could end up at the very least breaking your heart and at the worst, physically harming you. Sadie, what are you thinking?”
The back door opened and the noise of Jen coming in filled the bitter silence.
“Heather, I love you. But this is none of your business.”
“Oh, okay. None of my business. So you expect me to sit back and watch you deteriorate like mom did. Well, I won’t. If you don’t call Dr. Fox, I will. And mark my words. That guy will walk all over you, then break your heart.”