Molly took the path that led behind the waterfall, noticing the temperature dropping the closer she got to the tumbling water. When she stepped into the cave, it was like crossing over into another world. Filled with cold swirling mist, the walls of the cave dripped in an almost musical rhythm, the sound of the rushing water oddly muted now that she was behind it.
It only took a few minutes for her to begin to shiver as the cold mist settled over her shoulders, and she couldn’t imagine what stepping into the falls would feel like if the mist was that cold. Retreating back the way she’d come; she was just about to leave when she noticed a tunnel leading out of the back of the cave. Curious, she walked a few feet down it, but soon darkness descended, and she retraced her steps back to the cave.
When she emerged on the path, Adam was swimming for the shore, a concerned look on his face. “You were in there longer than I thought you would be,” he said, climbing out of the pond.
“I found a tunnel,” Molly said. “It was too dark to go very far, so I came back.”
“That’s good,” he said. “That tunnel goes on for quite a while, and you’re not exactly dressed for exploring.”
Molly looked down and realized that she was almost completely exposed, the wet fabric of her underwear doing little to cover her. A blush spread across her cheeks, and Adam laughed, “There’s that blush again,” he said. “I’m going to stretch out in the sun and dry off a little before I get dressed. Want to join me?”
Butterflies erupted in her stomach at the thought of lying next to him nearly naked, but in the end, it was too tempting an offer to pass up. “Okay, but behave yourself,” she said.
He shook his hair, splattering her with cold droplets of water, then said, “In case you’ve forgotten, I wasn’t the one doing the kissing the last time.”
Molly watched him walk off, a smirk on her face, her body throbbing, but followed him over to a big flat rock in the sun. “Well, that’s not going to happen again,” she said, joining him on the rock. “So, just put it out of your mind.”
He looked over at her. “If I don’t think about kissing you, I’ll just think about the other things I’d like to do to you,” he said, then laid down on the rock.
She couldn’t help but gasp as a thrill rushed through her body, and her insides tightened deliciously. Wanting to kiss him, but knowing it was an invitation she wasn’t ready to give, she laid down on the warm rock and closed her eyes. Adam reached out and took her hand in his, and the desire faded, replaced by that same feeling she’d felt before. But this time she understood that it was a mixture of comfort and contentment that she felt only when she was with Adam.
Feeling joy, she drifted off to sleep in the warm sunshine, Adam snored softly beside her. They hadn’t been asleep for very long when the sun went behind a gray storm cloud, and the temperature dropped. Shivering as the wind began to pick up, she sat up and looked up at the sky.
“Does it do this every day?” she asked, getting to her feet and hurrying over to her clothes.
Adam got slowly to his feet. “This time of year it does,” he said, stretching.
Even though she was hurrying to put her clothes on, she couldn’t help admiring Adam as he stood there, but he felt her eyes on him and turned, catching her staring. He just smiled at her and crossed over to his clothes and began putting them on. She was breathless by the time he slipped the last button closed on his shirt, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to hold out.
“We have just enough time to get home before it rains, unless you have something else in mind,” he said, shoving his foot into one of his boots.
Molly felt her cheeks turn pink. “Ummm, we should hurry,” she said, grabbing her shoes and putting them on. “I think I’ve been wet enough for one day.”
Chapter Eleven
***Adam***
Adam watched Molly hustling down the trail, a smile on his face, congratulating himself for pulling off the perfect day. Molly was falling for him just like he knew she would, and other than the first big whopping lie he’d told, he’d kept the fibbing to a minimum. Another day or two would be all it would take, he could feel it; a connection was growing between them, and it had nothing to do with sex.
He’d felt it that afternoon when they’d fallen asleep holding hands; it had welled up inside him, and filled him with a feeling words couldn’t describe. Now, watching Molly stumble along, he knew that it was love, or at least falling in love, and he sighed with relief. After all his years of searching for just the right woman, fate had plopped her down right into his arms, and he wasn’t going to let her get away.
They were almost to the cabin, the storm still brewing above them, when the faintest whiff of sulfur curled up his nostrils. He stopped and lifted his nose to the air, then let his eyes roam over the forest, but smelled only the rain falling in the mountains behind them.
“Adam, what’s wrong?” Molly called from down the trail where she’d stopped to wait for him.
“Nothing,” he said, jogging to catch up with her. “Come on, we don’t have long before the storm will be on us.”
As they jogged down the trail, he kept searching for the scent he’d caught earlier but found nothing, and decided it must have been his imagination. But when they stepped up on to the porch, the smell was there, strong and impossible to miss. Molly scrunched up her nose and looked around. “What’s that terrible smell?” she asked. “It’s like rotten eggs or something.”
“It’s just the storm; that happens up here sometimes,” he said, shoving her into the cabin just as the first drops began to fall.
He closed the door and locked it, knowing that it would do nothing to keep a demon out, but feeling better anyway. “Phew, we made it,” he said, heading for the kitchen.
Molly followed him, not saying a word, but he knew she was studying him. “Is there something out there, Adam?” she finally asked.
Making a big show of unpacking the backpack, he didn’t meet her eyes. “No, I just wanted to get inside before the rain started.”
“Adam, I’m not a child; if there’s something out there, a bear or whatever, I need to know,” she said. “You’ve been acting weird ever since we got back.”
He set down the backpack and walked over to her; once she was in his arms, he said, “There’s nothing out there that you need to be worried about.”
It was as close to the truth as he could get, but he needed to reassure her, even if he couldn’t reassure himself. He’d smelled a demon on the porch, of that he was sure. That alone wouldn’t have scared him; it was the fact that he hadn’t smelled it this morning. Pulling Molly closer, he forced the thought he’d been avoiding to surface fully and knew that he had to call Michael. Taking a deep breath, he hugged her to him again, resting his chin on her forehead, and let just holding her comfort him.
They stood that way for a long time as the rain poured down and the sky darkened, then the sound of Molly’s stomach growling filled the silence. She looked up at him, her cheeks pink. “I guess I’m hungry,” she said. “What’s for dinner?”
After dinner, he lit a fire in the living room, and they curled up on the couch together as the last of the storm played itself out. A comfortable silence fell over the place, and Adam felt himself getting sleepy, but then Molly sat up and looked at him.
“I just realized that I’ve spent so much time worrying about myself that I don’t know anything about you,” she said. “So, since you owe me three questions, I’ll settle for a history lesson on Adam.”
“Well, let’s see, where should I start?” he teased. “The moment of my birth or just what I can remember?”
Molly slapped him on the chest. “I’m serious; all I know about you is that you’re a landscaper, and the farm has been in your family for a long time. That’s not much,” she pouted.
“Okay, fine,” he said, knowing he was about to lie to her again, a lie of omission, but a lie none the less.
He searched for someplace to
start, and a way to leave out one of the biggest parts of his life, but his thoughts became tangled. It had never occurred to him that when he told Molly the truth, it was going to have to be the entire truth. Demons and shifters, he’d have to tell her about all of it, and suddenly he was petrified at the thought that she might be so freaked out that even love wouldn’t keep her with him.
But he took a deep breath and searched for the connection between them, found the comfort of it, and pushed his fears away. Molly was a strong woman, the kind of woman who would be able to cope with the truth about what he was and why Prospect Falls would always be his home. “Okay,” he finally said. “As you know, this farm has been my family for generations; it was a gift from the territorial governor when the state was first being settled.”
***Molly***
Molly sensed she was going to get a real story, so she settled a little deeper into Adam’s arms and closed her eyes, letting his voice roll over her in delicious waves. “It was one of the largest land grants in the state, and at one time, we owned not only the mountain but the valley as well, including Prospect Falls.”
She looked up at him. “The mountain? You own the mountain?” she asked, confused.
He nodded. “But don’t get too excited; part of the deal was that it has to stay undeveloped, so it’s not worth that much,” he said. “The valley was different and over the years, my family sold pieces off, including the town, but we’ve held onto the farm all these years.”
“It’s a beautiful place,” she said, sighing with contentment. “But where is the rest of the family?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure where my parents are. They kind of travel around a lot,” he said, a bit evasively and she wondered if she’d hit a nerve.
“I’m sorry, Adam, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” she said, looking up at him.
He looked down at her and something flashed in his eyes but was gone just as quickly as it appeared. “It’s not that; it’s just that they live a complicated life, a life that didn’t include me,” he said. “I never really blamed them; from the day I was born, everyone knew that I’d be the one to take over the farm someday.”
“So, they left you here?” Molly asked.
Adam nodded, and a smile spread across his face. “With my grandfather,” he said. “He raised me, and the truth is, it was a happy childhood. I understand now that my parents did what was best for me; neither of them would have been happy here, and it’s just the way things worked out. But he’s gone now; it’s been almost fifteen years, and I still miss him.”
Molly wrapped her arms around Adam, her heart breaking just a little for the boy and the man left behind by those that he loved. “I’m sorry, Adam,” she said into his chest. “I wish I could make it better.”
“But you do, Molly,” he said, wonder in his voice. “When I’m with you, none of that matters.”
She looked up at him, her heart bursting with what she could only describe as love, and she sucked in a shocked breath. “Is this what falling in love feels like?” she asked without thinking and felt her cheeks pinken.
“This is exactly what it feels like,” Adam said and lowered his mouth to hers.
He kissed her until she was breathless, then pulled away. “I think it’s time we both went to bed,” he said, pressing his forehead to hers.
Molly was still trying to catch her breath, and she was so close to giving in to her body, but Adam got to his feet and pulled her up from the couch. “I’ll just take care of the fire if you want to go on to bed,” he said.
She was a bit stunned to have the evening end so quickly, but she was tired, and bed sounded almost as good as kissing him again. “Okay then, I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, then turned to leave the room.
Before she’d gone a single step, he grabbed her and spun her into his arms. When his mouth came down on hers again, she sighed and kissed him back until they were both breathless. He reached down and stroked her cheek. “Sleep well, Molly. I’ll see you in the morning,” he said.
Floating down the hallway, her knees weak with desire, she nearly turned around and went back to the living room and the promise of the pleasure she would find in Adam’s arms. But she was still scared, still frightened by something she couldn’t name, and until the pieces of the puzzle that was her life fit back together, she had to be careful. It was taking all her strength, especially when Adam kissed her like he had that night, but she knew deep down that it was the right decision.
Climbing into bed, she let her mind wander back to the afternoon, smiling at the memory of Adam’s face when she climbed out of the pond and the raw desire there. Then tried to push the memory aside when her body began to throb with need, but it tumbled around in her mind, growing and taking on a life of its own. What had been memory was soon fantasy, making her body yearn for Adam in a way she hadn’t known was possible.
Throwing back the covers, she jumped out of bed, went to the window, and opened it up, letting the cold night air wash over her. She stood looking at the moonlight reflected on the lake, and the stars shining brightly in the sky for a long time, trying to think about anything but Adam. It was proving much more difficult than she’d imagined and she was just about to give up and go to him when she saw a shadow moving through the trees.
At first, she thought it might be a trick of the moonlight, but she watched as the shadow moved from tree to tree, skirting around the farm. Her heart pounding in her chest, she watched, paralyzed by a deep fear she couldn’t explain as the shadow moved out of sight. It felt like she’d been standing there forever before she finally managed to turn from the window and head for the door.
But when she got out to the living room, Adam wasn’t there, so she turned and ran for the kitchen, calling his name. “Adam, there’s something out in the trees,” she called, but there was no response.
Heading for the bedroom, her stomach churning with fear, she knocked on the closed door. “Adam, there’s something in the woods out there,” she called.
Chapter Twelve
***Adam***
Adam threw open the bedroom door to find Molly in a panic. “Okay, calm down,” he said. “Tell me what you saw.”
She took a couple of deep breaths. “I saw a shadow out in the forest,” she said. It was hiding behind the trees and moving around the farm like it was watching us.”
He pulled her into his arms, wanting to curse. Either she’d spotted Michael or the demons were getting stronger. “It was probably just a bear,” he said. “It won’t find anything here and will move on, but I’ll go help it along.”
“You’re going out there?” she asked, looking up at him, her eyes full of fear.
“I’ll be fine, I promise,” he said. “It will just take a second, and you can wait for me in here.”
Molly looked into the bedroom. “Okay, but promise you’ll be careful,” she said.
Adam kissed her on the forehead. “I promise,” he said. “Now get into bed. I need to get dressed.”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she looked at the bed for a long time before climbing in. She looked like a child in the big bed, and a surge of protectiveness filled him, making his blood pump and his gift flare to life. He got dressed quickly, knowing that even a human would be able to feel the power building inside him, but couldn’t resist kissing her before he left.
When she was properly out of breath, he headed for the door. “I won’t be gone long. Stay right here and don’t leave the cabin for any reason,” he said, then shut the door, her frightened face emblazoned in his mind.
Michael had warned him that bringing her to the lake might be dangerous, but he’d never dreamed that the demons might find them there. He’d never known a demon to follow anyone, but he’d also never known anyone who’d survived an attack before. Slipping out the door, he winced when the smell of rotten eggs hit him and started for the trees, his body changing effortlessly from man to beast in only a heartbeat.
A few steps later, he lifted into the air and rose above the trees, his senses heightened, searching for the demon. After only a few minutes, he lost the scent, and glided to the ground, his sleek wings folding in tightly to his body; then, the air shimmering around him, he became a man again.
Michael stepped out of the trees. “You lost it too?” he asked.
Adam nodded. “It was here a while ago,” he said. “I don’t know why I didn’t feel it.”
“Because you were distracted,” Michael said, a bit of censure in his voice. “I told you it wasn’t safe up here.”
“I’ll take Molly home in the morning,” he said. “I just wanted one more day.”
Michael was silent for a long time. “I think it’s time you told her the truth,” he finally said. “I know it’s not going to be easy, but you owe her that much, especially if these things are following her like I think.”
Adam knew that he was right, but wasn’t ready to give up yet. “I will tell her, but not yet; I just need a little more time.”
“What if she wants to go to town, wants to meet people, go shopping, all those normal things?” Michael asked. “You can’t keep this up for much longer.”
“I’ll tell her, soon, Michael; a couple more days isn’t going to hurt anything,” he said.
“Okay, I tried,” Michael said, holding his hands up in the air. “I used to think it was a good thing that you were so stubborn. Do you want me to hang around for a while?”
Adam shook his head. “I won’t sleep tonight anyway. I’ve got this,” he said.
Michael took off through the trees without another word, then a wave of power hit him, and his friend was soaring through the sky toward town. He stood in the trees for longer than he should have, trying to figure out why the demon had come this far then retreated. It had already been gone when Michael arrived; he was what Molly had seen in the woods since the demons were invisible unless feeding, he was sure of that. But something had scared the demon away; he wasn’t sure what and knew that he couldn’t count on it happening again.
Guardian Dragons of Prospect Falls: (A Paranormal Shifter Romance) Page 7