There was a buzz, almost audible, that hummed through her, drawing her closer to Chatan. Heat raced up her face. “What do you do here?”
“I come here to recenter, to soul-search.” He looked around the trees. “It’s peaceful, and the world stops for a little while. It’s nice to stop a bit and find my balance. And I was hoping this place would do the same for you.”
She smiled. “I see the potential.” There was something there, calling to her. And she didn’t have a clue how to reach it. She lay back, putting one arm under her head. “Tell me about Wanatoga, about your life, about the people here.”
He smiled and lay out beside her, turning to look into her eyes. “Happily.”
Chapter 6
“Who is she?” George asked as Loretta walked into the nursery. Direct, as usual. He liked to get things done.
She smiled. “Who?”
“The woman staying at the motel? Is she the same one Chatan saw at the diner?”
“Yes, she is. And I’m not sure why she’s here, but I sense no malice in her.”
“Good, then our wards are still working as expected. Have you figured out who she is?”
“Her name is Jacinda Lavelle, and the ID she gave me was her true ID. Whatever information she gave to David or Mason was a lie, but I believe she was protecting herself. Chatan made it clear the girl has strong instincts.”
George nodded. “Good. And you trust her?”
She nodded. “I do. Besides, Chatan is drawn to her in a way I’ve never seen from him. I think he may have found his woman.” In fact, she wasn’t sure he’d ever find his soulmate. He wasn’t fully shaman, and druids didn’t have that. His magic was weaker than most of either druids or shaman.
George chuckled. “I may have to look for new help then. Doubt I’ll ever find anyone as good with plants as he is.”
Loretta laughed. “You never know, she may choose to stay.”
“Depends on what she’s here for. The time of the prophecy is coming. I wonder if she’s the key.”
“Key for what?” Loretta asked.
“Freeing Dove. You know the old stories as well as I do.”
She shook her head. “But that would make Chatan Hawk’s chosen.”
“And they may not stay here,” George answered.
Loretta shifted her weight. “You believe he’s that powerful?” He wasn’t a great healer. He couldn’t call more than sparks. His only gifts were with plants and communicating with animals.
“Oh, he is. Chatan needs someone to bolster his confidence to unlock his full potential. He doesn’t see what I do.”
Loretta dropped her gaze. She didn’t see it either. But maybe George was right. Maybe Chatan needed someone to show him his gifts so they could flourish.
“Keep an eye on both of them. And if the Saint Morton boys snoop about, let me know. We can’t let them have her.”
“You have my word.”
* * * *
Jacinda hadn’t opened up, but she absorbed everything he told her about Wanatoga and the people there. With every detail he shared, she relaxed and conversed, though never gave up her own secrets.
Which was why he kept his own.
For now.
Instinct told him to hide certain talents. And Chatan always followed his gut. Sometimes the outcome sucked, but he was wiser for his choices.
With Jacinda, he needed patience and a few omissions.
The trip to the diner passed in easy silence. He’d never met a woman who so easily lost herself in thought while still seemingly taking in everything. She didn’t waste time chatting when there was nothing to say.
Only problem, he craved every detail of her life.
He pulled into the parking lot and she turned toward him.
She reached out to touch his leg. “Let me get lunch, for all you’re doing for me today. Please.”
Chatan almost argued, but he couldn’t resist her. “All right.”
She grinned. “Thank you.”
“Next time, I’ll pay.”
Her brow pinched for a second. “All right.”
He laughed. “That easy?”
“You gave in easy too,” she teased before slipping from the truck.
Chatan hopped out and hurried around to where she waited. “Not worth fighting over.”
Blushing, she started for the door. Then she glanced back and stumbled.
He caught her arm with a smile. “Careful, Jace.”
A nervous laugh bubbled up. “Didn’t I mention I’m a klutz?”
“You haven’t been so far,” he murmured, sliding his hand down her arm to capture her hand.
Her brow arched. “Smacking my face on the roof of the car?” she asked, using her previous excuse.
Only, he knew Mason hit her, and he couldn’t say a word about that without potentially scaring her off. Maybe he should have told her everything from the start. “But you moved with grace all day.
She licked her lips. “Thank you.”
He pushed the door open and let her pass. Taking her hand again, he felt the current growing as he brought her to the window booth in the back. The forest was just beyond.
Jacinda looked through the diner. Her eyes paused on every person and then swung back to him. What he wouldn’t give for a sneak peek into her head.
* * * *
Chatan made her nervous in the best way. Jacinda didn’t want to run, not really. She was tempted to move closer, lean against him, touch his skin. No one else had ever tempted her like this.
She looked up to find a man with a braid over his shoulder. He wore a warm smile. “Why, hello, missus.”
“Good afternoon,” she answered.
Mac nudged Chatan. “Introduce your new friend.”
Chatan chuckled. “Mac, meet Jacinda. She’s in town because her father loved this place. This is Mac.”
“A pleasure.” Mac held out his hand.
Jacinda took it and shook. Earth magic flowed around her. She recognized him as a shaman, much like Loretta. Chatan was at least part shaman, but she sensed something else in there. “A pleasure to meet you,” she answered.
“Thank you.”
He handed her a menu. “I’ll be back after you get a chance to look.”
She quickly found what she wanted and before she could look up, Mac was back with his hands in his back pockets. “Ready?”
“Smoked salmon salad, please. And iced tea.”
“Dressing?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“You got it.” He winked at Chatan and walked back to the kitchen.
Jacinda turned to him. “You always get the same thing?”
He nodded. “Pretty much. He knows I’d tell him if I wanted to change my order.”
“What are you getting?”
“Club sandwich and fries. And salmon chowder. In fact, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t bring you a bowl.”
“Oh, I can’t eat that much.”
“Whatever you don’t finish, I will, and he won’t charge you.”
She sat back, her eyes narrowed. “Money isn’t the issue. I simply don’t like wasting food.”
“Won’t go to waste.” He winked. “Consider the gesture his way of welcoming you. It’s his special recipe. He makes it every day. Don’t hurt his feelings over a gift.”
Relaxing, she let out a breath. She’d been taking care of herself for so long she never expected anyone else to attempt to do it for her. “All right.”
He leaned forward, looking into her eyes. “I know where I want to take you next, but it’s a surprise.”
The change of subject caught her off guard, but she lifted an eyebrow. “A surprise?”
“I think you’ll find it the perfect spot.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see.”
He’d already taken her somewhere no one else had been. Now he wanted to take her to some secret location. Hopefully it was either the waterfall her father mentioned or the pillar he drew. She needed
to see both. There were only three places her father focused on. Those two, and a mysterious place she’d need a guide to find, which she didn’t understand.
Then again, Chatan took her to a place she may not have found on her own, or at the very least, not realized without his guidance. That had to be coincidence, though. Right?
Only, something called to her in that spot. She felt as if she belonged there.
Or maybe her attraction to Chatan had fogged her head. She couldn’t quite resist him, and she should. She couldn’t stay in Wanatoga forever. Thanatos would eventually find her and she’d need to move. It had been easy to avoid attachments in the past. But now, she felt this pull to Chatan she had never experienced. It felt like two streams flowing downhill to meet in the valley. They would collide, and she wanted to.
The growing attachment would only hurt them both in the end. In such a short time, she knew she’d miss him, and that scared her. With her nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place, how was she supposed to experience desire, love, all those things she knew about but never considered having?
A first kiss, a first time being intimate, her first love.
Her eyes closed as she turned her head toward the window.
All those things might be sitting next to her.
“Always this quiet?” Mac asked as he set a bowl in front of her.
Smiling, she met his gaze. “Just thinking.” The soup smelled wonderful. “You really didn’t need to bring this.”
He laughed. “No, I suppose not. However, it would honor me if you try it.”
“Sure, thank you.”
Dipping his head, he moved away from the table.
Chatan chuckled. “You’ll find most people in Wanatoga are generous. They want everyone to be at peace with the world, to find joy in the simple things, and to have happiness.”
“I’ve noticed, and I feel very welcome. Maybe too welcome.” She shook her head. “It’s nice, though.”
“I honestly don’t understand how you could ever be less than welcome anywhere. But maybe I’m biased because I’m drawn to you.”
She gulped and took a taste of the soup to avoid telling him she felt the same. How hard would this man laugh when he realized she had no experience with anyone?
“What’s the longest you’ve been in one place?”
“That I remember?” Jacinda asked.
He nodded, though his frown said he didn’t understand.
“Three weeks. Even when I still traveled with my mother. There were a few places we visited frequently, but no place we stayed at longer.”
“Sounds like a lonely existence.”
She let out a sad laugh. “Never had anyone to miss that badly.”
“Not even your mother?”
“Sometimes, but I can get in touch with her easily. Besides, too much time in close proximity and things gets uncomfortable. We’re too different.”
“Why is that?”
“We don’t have much in common.” And that was all she wanted to say. Their problems stemmed from the fact her mother didn’t understand her curious nature or her obsession with her father’s journal.
In fact, her mother would freak if she realized where Jacinda currently sat. And not for the trouble in the next town, though that might concern her too.
“I miss my mother every day.” Chatan’s quiet admission brought her attention back to him.
“What happened to her?”
“A sickness took her life.” He sighed. “We’ve never seen anything like it. Don’t know the cause.” He blew out a breath and focused on his soup.
She reached across the table and took his hand. “I’m sorry. I lost my father when I was little. And the sad thing is, the few memories I have, I miss him more than my mother. He was a wanderer, an explorer, a seeker. Like me. My mother moves around because she has to, but I like moving constantly.”
Chatan studied her with such intensity she wondered if he’d decide she wasn’t worth the time. And as depressing as that thought was, she almost hoped he’d turn his back on her. Everything would be so much easier when she had to leave.
Then he smiled softly. “I love to explore, but I always wind up back here.”
“How far have you traveled?” She took her hand back to finish up the chowder, which was the best soup she’d ever had.
“Across the country, Canada, into Mexico, but never across the sea. Though one day, I’d like to.”
By the time she finished her bowl, Mac came back with their food.
She smiled up at him. “Very good, thank you for the soup.”
His face lit up. “Enjoy your salad. Though, if you want something more, I’ll happily put another order in.”
“Salad is perfect.” Especially with the huge helping of salmon on top.
“Enjoy.” He winked at Chatan and left them alone again.
Wanatoga could grow on her. Not that it mattered.
Chapter 7
“Is there anything that would make you settle down?”
Chatan’s question rolled through Jacinda. She turned to study him. They drove over a dip in the road and she caught herself on the dash as she thought about the answer.
“Never thought about it. Maybe when I find what I’m looking for.” Not that he would ever understand.
Glancing over, he smiled. “Let me help you find what you’re looking for.”
She almost asked why, but it was clear he was interested in a lot more than she could ever give him. At least until she found a way to kill Thanatos. She didn’t want to fall in love only to lose him.
Which meant she needed to solve the clues.
She let out a long sigh. “I’m not even sure what I’m looking for, Chatan. I can’t ask you to search for something I can’t explain.”
“Then how will you know when you find it?”
“Who knows?” She turned to stare out the window. She had to keep the faith her father knew what he was talking about.
Chatan drove. The silence stretched. Then he pulled onto another gravel road and drove a couple miles before pulling to a stop on a loop at the end.
“Where are we?”
His eyes twinkled as he watched her. “Trust me, Jace.”
He slid out of the truck and she climbed down. At the front of the truck, Chatan took her hand. A shiver worked through her body. “Does that mean you do?” he teased.
“So far,” she answered, holding his stare.
He pulled her down a sandy trail and fell in step with her considerably shorter stride. “Like walking?”
“I do, especially when surrounded by such beauty.” And Chatan fit into that category, but the forest itself was a magical place. Pushing down her desire, she focused on the trail, the scenery, and her hand in his.
Could she really spend a week or two in Wanatoga and resist more time with Chatan? Did she want to? If she were smart, she’d find a reason or a way to avoid him.
But that was the last thing she wanted. He was easy to be around. He woke something up inside her, longing for a friend, maybe a lover.
What would her mother say?
Best not to think of that. Instead, she asked, “Tell me about your father. Where is he?”
“Up north, near my brothers. After Mom died, he needed to go elsewhere. I stay with him a couple months a year, but it’s not home. I wind up going to hang out with my brothers, or my cousin.” He sighed. “Seems like everyone I know has found their person or finally accepted what was right in front of them.”
She perked up. “Right in front of them?”
He nodded. “My cousin Eddie and his fiancé Jackie are probably my closest friends. Her dad died when she was six. She wound up living with Eddie’s family. And everyone treated them like brother and sister. For years, neither could admit what they were to each other. Now they’re more whole together than they ever were apart. The road they traveled to get there was long, hard, and full of twists, but they’re where they should be.”
“You
want that?”
“Don’t you?” he replied, as if that was the only thing anyone could want.
“Never stopped to think about being with someone.” Until he became a temptation.
He shook his head, blinking. “No one? You’ve never dated, gone out with someone? Nothing?”
She gulped. “Consider my life a moment. I don’t stop any one place for long. I don’t make friends—usually. I keep my distance, because I know I’m not staying.”
“And what if someone were willing to follow you?”
She snorted. “I don’t know. Never had that happen.”
A part of her brain was yelling at her to run before she got tangled up with someone she could really fall in love with. In that moment, she realized she was in deep trouble and sinking fast.
They fell back into silence, and she finally relaxed as time ticked by. He didn’t pester her, didn’t pry when she started to shut down. Chatan seemed to understand what she needed even before she did.
A sensation started at her toes, working its way up her spine and to the tips of her hair. She gasped. “What is that?”
He squeezed her hand. “Follow your instinct.”
Jacinda moved faster, then took off running. Chatan kept up like it was the most natural speed in the world. After several minutes that seemed to stretch into forever, she burst into a clearing. A perfect circle, black sand, surrounded by trees that seemed miles tall. In the center stood a pillar made of hematite, covered in symbols.
Her father drew the very same stone in the journal. And before she ever made it to the clearing, it called to her. The magic was so familiar.
Runes and other symbols she’d only ever found in her father’s journal decorated the stone.
Slowing down, she crossed the distance and ran her fingers over a string of familiar words she’d mostly translated, save two from a language she hadn’t found.
Light danced in the etchings as she made contact, and dazzling blue light filled the carved symbols. Placing her hands flat on the pillar amplified a voice she could hear but couldn’t decipher.
The ground fell away as she started to fall into blackness.
Her father stood over the crib, murmuring the lilting chant she could never forget. His voice was the most soothing thing she could recall. His accent was faded Irish.
Finding Hawk (Branches of Emrys Book 3) Page 5