He groaned and moved against her, no longer content to stay still as she had her way. He grabbed her hips and leaned her against the door, wrapping her legs around his hips and pressing against her core in need. She dug her nails into his shoulders, demanding more from him.
She whimpered when he tore his lips away from hers, and he made a tortured sound that sounded inhumane.
“Damn, Sabrina, you pick the most inconvenient times to get bold,” he teased. His voice sounded husky, and it made her want him even more, if possible.
Crap.
But, unfortunately, he had a point. They couldn’t make love on the doorstep while her sister sat inside.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“Me, too. That you had to stop, that is. We could go to my place,” he suggested.
Hmm. Tempting.
She’d like nothing more than to go to his house, but knew she shouldn’t. Her sister would leave after tonight, and she needed to exercise some control.
“I can’t. I should stay with Marie,” she said. Regret rang loud and clear in her words, and wind whipped her hair in front of her eyes when he sighed in return. She pushed it away and chuckled. He’d enjoyed himself, if the wind gave any indication.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed. Yet, even as he did so, he sighed so dramatically that even Marie would be impressed. “Plus, I still have work to do. I have to keep you frail humans safe from the big, bad monsters of the world,” he teased. She removed her legs from his waist, and he pulled her against his chest, apparently not ready to let go just yet. His erection pressed against her, and she shivered. The wind whipped around them as she clung to his shirt.
He must have mistaken her shiver for fear, instead of desire, for he soothed, “Don’t worry. I’m under control now. And no one’s here, just us.”
“Did you find Louisa? Or Elijah?”
“I know Elijah’s been nearby. I can sense his presence. While hunting Louisa, I found his scent, too. So I think he chased after Louisa, or vice versa. He must have been trying to stop her from harming you. They met up in the forest a few days ago, appeared to have had a fight and separated. I’m not sure where she went, but Elijah headed back this way. I have a gut feeling he’s nearby, though. Have you had any dreams?”
“No, none. Just normal dreams. No Elijah or Louisa.”
His muscles relaxed under her cheek as he sighed. “Good. I hope it stays that way.”
“So, what are you doing tonight?”
“I think I’m going to scout around a bit more, see if I can’t pick up a new trail. I’d like to catch up to Louisa.” Eagerness added a lift to his words, like a little boy looking forward to his favorite TV show.
Men.
“Can’t you just go to bed and watch a movie?” She rolled her eyes heavenward.
His chest shook at his silent laughter. “Sorry, but I do have to do my job. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m more worried about you.”
“I’ll stay tucked in on my makeshift bed on the couch, safe as can be.”
“Now that’s a picture I’d like to see.”
They both jumped when the door opened and banged against the wall.
“You don’t have to stay out there like two teenagers scared of getting caught by their parents while making out. Come in, for God’s sakes.” Marie’s hair looked wet, presumably from the bath she had mentioned going in for, and she’d wrapped herself in a fluffy purple robe. She had no makeup on and held a glass of water in her hand. It became obvious they’d been outside a lot longer than Sabrina had realized.
They both looked at Marie, then back to each other, before breaking out into infectious laughter. “Sorry, Marie. I didn’t realize how long we were out here. I should come in, anyway. Isaac was just leaving.”
“Yes, I am,” he replied smoothly. He shook Marie’s hand and brushed his lips across Sabrina’s cheek. “Good night, ladies.”
She smiled as she watched him trudge his way to the car. His steps were slow and maybe even a little cranky. She knew he hated driving and avoided it as much as possible. He much preferred a more natural way of travelling—running. He would groan when she asked him to drive her somewhere, and she’d always laugh at his disgruntlement.
She turned to see Marie watching her, her eyebrow raised and lips puckered. “Sure you don’t want to chase after the car?”
“Oh, shut up already.”
They went inside and locked the door behind them. “Did you have to be such a bitch tonight? He’s a good guy. I’ve told you he isn’t a loser how many times?”
Marie held her hands up in mock surrender. “Okay, you’re right. Take it easy, though. I had your best interests at heart. I had to make sure you aren’t falling for the guy out of desperation.”
“If nothing else, one look at him can tell you it sure isn’t desperation that attracted me to him,” she pointed out sarcastically.
“Yeah, I can concede as much.” They both laughed, and Marie sobered. “If you had told me how gorgeous he looked, maybe I’d have understood your obsession a little better. And maybe I’d have not come out. He’s definitely one of a kind.”
“Yup, he is,” she whispered. Uneasiness washed over her, and Sabrina tugged on a loose curl. Marie had no idea how true her words were. “But I’m glad you came out. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” Marie said. “You guys are so weird together, though. It kind of freaks me out.”
“How are we weird?” she asked. She bit her lip as she awaited the answer. Had Marie, perhaps, picked up on something she shouldn’t have?
“When he looks at you, it’s like he’s known you for years. He seems to know what you’re thinking before the thought even crosses your mind. Just like an old married couple, who finish each other’s sentences. He’s also very protective of you. Whenever you move, his gaze follows you to make sure there’s nothing new around the two of you that could harm you. If you sigh, his eyes meet yours. If you enter a new room, he positions his body around yours so he’s protecting you from all sides. It’s like he expects the big, bad wolf to jump out at you and attack.” She ended, amusement clear in her voice.
Sabrina got struck speechless. She didn’t know what to say to Marie’s statement. She hadn’t realized she and Isaac were so obvious in their affection toward one another, and she could have slapped herself in the forehead for her ignorance. Of course Isaac watched her like they had been together for fifty years. He’d already lived a lifetime with her—a lifetime cut short by betrayal and murder.
“Well, at least you know I’ll be safe around him,” she joked.
“I have no doubt about it. I think he would manage to catch the big, bad wolf and tear him to pieces using his bare hands. And you look at him like he’s the only thing that matters in your life. But, what I wonder is how? It’s been a few weeks. Why is it like this, and so soon?”
“He’s a good guy,” Sabrina said in defense. Her sister was way too intuitive for her own good. Thank the Lord she would be leaving tomorrow.
“He’s a good guy, yeah. But is that a reason to look at him as if you need him to breathe? It’s just weird. It’s too much, too fast,” Marie insisted.
“Ever hear of love at first sight? Seen, oh, I don’t know, like one hundred movies about it? Read a few books?” Sabrina scoffed.
“But those are fake. And they don’t involve my baby sister.”
“Well, your ‘baby sister’ is fine, and happy. Marie, I’m finally happy. I can see myself by his side. I can picture a life with this guy. Do you understand what I’m saying? I’m letting myself picture it. You, of all people, should know how hard this is for me.” Sabrina finished on a whisper.
She’d always had a hard time trusting men. Her former fiancé, Mike, had been a royal ass. She had thought she’d hit the jackpot, but instead gotten a virus—not literally, though it probably would have happened eventually. He banged anything wearing a skirt—or not. He’d been an equal-opportunity-asshole.
But even knowing most men were not like him, she held herself back for years from her emotions. No man had proven worth getting hurt over. Until now.
Until Isaac.
Marie went pale and nodded. “Okay, okay. I’ll relax. I can’t help but worry about you. I love you. I’ve been your mom since our folks died. It’s hard for me to let go.” Tears shone in her eyes, and Sabrina swallowed past the lump in her throat.
She hugged Marie, unsure how to respond to what was said, but thankfully got saved from trying by her sister’s loud yawn.
“I love you, too,” she murmured. “And you’ve done a great job. You can relax now. I’m okay.”
“I’ll try. I promise I’ll try,” Marie assured Sabrina.
Chapter Eleven
She stood in the woods, once more enrobed in purple moonlight, and realized no wind rustled her hair. Utter silence surrounded her, but she could tell Elijah watched her from behind. She spun around to face him and froze at the sight of him. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, so she took her time surveying him. His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, his mouth pressed tight into a grim line. He watched her…no, scratch the last statement.
He glared at her.
Oh, boy.
“Why did you bring me here? Where were you?” she inquired as she sat on a fallen tree and sighed.
He looked startled and replied, “I went off to hunt Louisa. We fought and she ran away. She’s still out there somewhere, but she isn’t here anymore. I can’t find any traces of her.”
“Are you…okay?”
He snickered. “Oh yeah, I’m great. Never been better.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She felt his pain as if it were her own. He’d been hurt when she had chosen Isaac, as if he somehow sensed it had been decided.
He cursed and ran his hand through his hair in agitation. He looked so much like Isaac, she paused. “No, I’m sorry. You don’t deserve my anger.” He sighed loudly and sat beside her. “I always seem to lose my temper around you. Not the best way to win the girl, is it? Sabrina, I’m sorry about—”
“Shh. It’s okay. I’m sorry I pried. It’s obviously a sore subject, for both of you.” She didn’t want to trigger an angry response from him by discussing what had happened at her house weeks ago. And she certainly didn’t want to discuss him killing Amelia.
“Yes, but I should have known you’d ask. And I left because I had to chase Louisa. I didn’t want to leave you, I swear. I wanted to explain, to make you understand….”
He stared at her, the longing clear in his eyes, and she met his gaze hesitantly. The same love Isaac showed her—and the same devotion—shone in Elijah’s as well. It hurt to look at him, to know she couldn’t return his love the way he wanted to. She lurched to her feet, ready to flee back to reality.
“I really shouldn’t be here right now. Isaac would be upset if he knew.”
“Does Isaac already have such a claim on you that you must worry even about your dreams?” He jumped to his feet to pace furiously, fists clenched at his sides. “You don’t know what it felt like, watching Amelia die. It ruined me. It’s not a day any of us need to reflect upon, I assure you.”
“It’s okay, really. I know enough, I don’t need to hear about it anymore!” she exclaimed.
“What did Isaac tell you? How much of a monster I am? How I stole the only love of his life, the only thing that mattered to him in the world, and killed her?”
The last came out a growl, and she winced when he gripped her arms so tightly they throbbed.
Her temper swelled and she leaned into his face to jeer, “No, he told me what happened, and the discussion ended. There were no lies, no drama. No raised voices. Unlike now.”
He let out a string of curses and released her. “I’m sorry, again. I just get so angry when I think of you two. When I picture you in his arms, I get angry enough to snap, and I do. Unfortunately, it’s always seems to be at you. It should be Isaac, though. He somehow discovered my plan to meet you at McGuiness. I hadn’t even sensed him nearby.”
Sabrina cocked her head, confused by his statement. “What do you mean, he discovered about meeting me at McGuiness?”
“In your dream. I told you to meet me at McGuiness. Do you recall that night?”
“Yes, of course. But it was Isaac, not you…right?”
“It was me in the dream, but him in the daylight,” he bit out.
“Oh. So you’re telling me you’d intended to be there, but Isaac found out and beat you to me?” Sabrina inquired.
“Yes. I’d seen him go into the tavern the first day you saw him, and I knew he’d seen you. When he came out, looking flustered, I knew I had to act fast. I couldn’t go in there to talk to you. The risk was too great. Enforcers swim all over the damn place all day—even the homeless guy is on their payroll. I watched you leave, and wanted to speak to you so bad. But I didn’t dare to on their stomping grounds.”
Zeke’s on their payroll? Why, for the love of God, didn’t he have a home? Maybe it had been a front all along?
“Wait…you were the one I saw that day?” She gasped as she remembered thinking she’d seen a man in the shadows. “I saw you, but thought I hallucinated.”
“Yes, it was me. I wanted to come to you, but I didn’t. Damn it.” He kicked a huge rock, and she watched it sail through the air and crash into a tree, denting the rough bark. “So I came to you in a blasted dream, and told you to meet me there when I knew it would be closed. There’d be no risk of running into Isaac or his big oaf, Connor. But you would go to the familiar location, thinking Isaac would be there. And since you hadn’t met Isaac yet, it would have been me. I would be the one in your bed. I would be the one you trusted. Not him.”
She flushed as images of them in bed together played through her head. “How do you know he did it in trickery? Maybe he just happened to show up. He had no way of knowing you were planning the same. And he goes there all the time.”
“I don’t know how he did it!” he exclaimed in frustration, as he slashed a hand through the air. “All I do know is he’s a sneaky bastard who stole you away. And now he reaps the benefits.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. Maybe he did or didn’t do what you say. But even if he did, who are you to judge? Need I remind you what happened to Amelia?”
Elijah sucked in his breath. “Touché.”
“I’m sorry. You have so much anger in you, it’s hard not to fight back sometimes,” she murmured. This conversation had gone on long enough. Isaac wouldn’t like this—not one little bit. And, yes, she cared about his feelings. How could she not, when she loved him?
She cared for Elijah, too, though. Which royally sucked, since he should be her enemy…since he was Isaac’s. But, she felt a pull toward him, some feelings she could not shove aside. His sadness struck her as if it were her own. Seeing him alone in the world hurt. He needed a friend. Couldn’t she be that for him, at least?
Would it be so wrong to fill that position?
“Anger over losing you? Yes, I do. Anger over watching Amelia die? Yes, that too. It eats at me, consumes me. I breathe, feel, and live anger and pain. It is all I know. I can’t stand knowing I have lost you—again.”
“You never had me. I’m not Amelia. You have to understand the difference here. And I love him. Not you. I’m sorry.” She ended on a whisper.
“You thought you loved him before. I proved you wrong,” he pointed out. Desperation rang out in his tone, and he leaned toward her. His gaze bore into hers, beseeching her to give into his will.
“That isn’t me, Elijah. I’m not her. We are two different people,” she insisted. “Why can’t you accept I’m not your long-lost love, but only a woman who resembles her?”
“Damn it, Sabrina. You are her, and you belong with me, not him,” he urged.
“No, I don’t,” she whispered. She felt bad for being so blunt. His love shone clear in his eyes. But she loved Isaac, and the sooner Elijah accepted it, the better off they would al
l be. “Elijah, Isaac and I are close now. I know there are feelings you have…you’ve confused me for Amelia. I’m not her. I know you think you care for me, but—”
“I think I care for you? I’m sorry, but that’s an understatement.” He laughed harshly and grabbed her hand to place it on his chest before biting out, “Do you feel a heartbeat? No? Well, it used to beat for you, and only you. If I had a heart now, it would still beat only for you.
“Why does your heart beat faster when I’m near?” He placed his hand on her chest, and she flushed when her traitorous heart sped up. “I can hear your heart beating from a mile away. I hear it speed up as I come near. I hear your breathing get faster as well. Especially when I do this.”
Grabbing her chin firmly, he crushed his lips to her passionately. She cringed, afraid she’d feel the same surging emotions she always had in his arms. And to feel anything now would be the worst betrayal to her and Isaac. But she sagged against Elijah in relief when she realized she only had some slight desire toward him. But not love. Never love.
He wasn’t Isaac.
He seemed to sense she didn’t react as she had in the past, for he pulled back to look at her, shock and resignation in his eyes.
She, however, couldn’t help but be marvelously relieved. Elijah no longer had a pull over her. For her, Isaac—and only Isaac—would do. She smiled but flinched in guilt as she saw Elijah’s distraught face. She cupped his cheek, as she gave him one last tender peck on his lips.
“I’m sorry. You have to let me go,” she whispered.
“But, Sabrina—” His words were lost in the howling of the winds whipping in gale-like force around the two of them. Odd, it hadn’t seemed windy before….
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