by Dale Mayer
She shook her head. “And yet, you didn’t see the man at the restaurant?”
“I did see him,” he corrected, “but he was a ghost. No living man was on that restaurant rooftop. I could see him—or his aura rather. Same as the table of well-dressed couples.”
She groaned. “They seemed so real.”
With a chuckle he led her out to the hallway. She could see first responders arriving. “Can you leave?”
“No,” he said. “Bruno is coming to take you home.”
Surprised, she looked at Sebastian. “Bruno?”
“Yes, he’ll take you back to the apartment.”
She frowned. “Is there a bedroom down here?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“I don’t want to leave you behind.”
He frowned. “The thing is, I will be here for several hours.”
She motioned to the couch behind her. “I’ll be happy to stay there.”
He studied her for a long moment, then tilted her chin up and kissed her, a long sweet kiss so unlike the little pecks he’d given her up until now. She reached up, her fingers stroking along his neck, sliding into the curls at the base of his nape.
When he lifted his head, he murmured, “Then lie down on the couch. I’ll wake you when I’m done.”
She smiled, walked over to the couch, curled up and was asleep almost instantly.
*
Sebastian wasn’t sure what to do with her. In his heart of hearts he wanted to send her back to the States so she stayed safe. But he didn’t know what safe meant anymore.
She was so damn special, and she’d come so close to getting hurt tonight, possibly even killed.
His gaze surveyed the EMTs coming with stretchers to collect the dead men. The police were here as well. He had already called two of the people he knew on the force. He wasn’t sure how to explain what had just happened.
A guard went unexpectedly berserk and killed his buddies. That was all he could really say, but was it fair to the poor man who’d been caught up with the mask’s evil energy? As it happened, he had been a disgruntled employee. Another man had been promoted above him. Maybe that energy had attracted the mask to him, had expanded on it, had helped the guard act out his darkest thoughts.
If it couldn’t have the good energy, it would take the negative. Sebastian had seen that time and again in civilization. If they couldn’t get kind appreciation, then they would often take a kickass fight.
The police walked toward him, and the questions started. He gave the statement as best he could. When they wanted to wake up Lacey, he refused, saying he’d bring her to the station the next day, that she was exhausted and in shock still. They’d been content with that.
The injured men had been taken to the hospital. Sebastian walked up to the guard who’d done all the killing. The paramedic was crouched at his side but looked up as Sebastian approached. “He’s dead.”
“I’m sorry,” Sebastian said. He couldn’t say it aloud, but it was almost a relief. The man would get blamed, but he likely wouldn’t have a clue how or what he’d done. In this way, it was easier, though not for his family. They wouldn’t understand.
The paramedic looked at him. “And you saying he just collapsed?”
Sebastian nodded. “He fell on his knees, then fell face forward.” He pointed to the man’s nose, broken from hitting the floor.
“He must have had a heart attack,” the paramedic said with a frown. “There are no obvious wounds anywhere.”
Sebastian nodded. “It did happen fast.”
“It happens like that sometimes,” the paramedic said. “They just drop dead.”
Sebastian had never seen it before, and he never wanted to see it again. He stayed until the bodies were collected and the forensic team came in. One of his friends, a police officer, walked toward him. Sebastian asked him, “May I leave? I want to take Lacey home.”
The officer turned to look at the sleeping woman and nodded. “It sounds like you two have had a horrific afternoon.”
“We did indeed,” Sebastian said. “Not much fun for any of us.”
“Take her home but bring her to give a statement tomorrow.”
“I will,” Sebastian said. He looked around at the building, wondering where the hell Hunter had gone. Sebastian hadn’t thought of Hunter in hours, but, last Sebastian knew, Hunter had been outside on guard duty. He must be wondering what the hell was going on by now. As Sebastian walked over to Lacey, he called Hunter on his cell phone. “Where did you disappear to?”
“I was hunting,” Hunter said in a succinct voice. “Black energy left the building. Even left some psychic footprints.”
Sebastian froze, his heart slamming against his chest. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I’m serious.” Hunter sighed heavily. “But I lost its trail. It’s like it evaporated in front of me. And so did the footprints.”
“Where are you now?”
“Back at the apartment,” Hunter said. “Are you coming?”
“Yes, and I’m bringing Lacey, but I hate to wake her. She’s sleeping on the couch.”
“Protect her,” Hunter said. “I’ll watch out for you.”
Sebastian crouched beside Lacey and tried to lift her up. She awoke instantly, flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. He stood with her in his arms, but she fought to stand on her own two feet.
She smiled up at him. “Nice thought,” she said, “but we’ve both been through too much to need any extra physical exertion.”
With her at his side, they returned to the apartment. As they walked into the third floor, he tried to lead her to her apartment.
She shook her head. “No, I’m sleeping with you tonight.”
He smiled, tucking her close. When they walked in his place, they saw Hunter lounging on the couch.
She looked at him and frowned. “Where did you disappear to?”
He gave her a warm, sleepy smile. “Apparently you were having a hell of a time inside.”
“Yes,” she said. “We could have used your help.”
“And I would have,” he said, “but I’ve been hunting energy that escaped the building.”
Her shoulders sagging, she whispered, “Are you saying it’s not over?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure if it’s over or not. I couldn’t track it any farther, but I have a decent idea where it’s going.” He motioned toward her. “Go to bed. You’re asleep on your feet. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
She looked around the apartment and asked, “What bed am I taking?”
Without a word Sebastian led her down the hall to his room. She looked at the large bedroom, nodded and headed to the bathroom first. She came out, stripped down to her underwear and crawled in bed.
He followed suit, stripping down to his boxers, then he joined her in bed, tucking her closely against him, and they both crashed.
Chapter 23
Lacey rolled over. Her body was sore and achy. She couldn’t quite figure out why. She opened her eyes and frowned. She bolted upright, not recognizing the room she was in. The sheet fell away, and she saw she was in only a bra and panties. Shaking her head, she looked around to see Sebastian curled up beside her. And then the evening’s events came flooding back.
She crashed back down onto the bed, tears welling as she thought about the poor men who had lost their lives last night. How many other lives was that mask responsible for? Or would be responsible for in the future? She could feel the compassion and empathy in her heart for the poor guard who’d been wearing the mask. It wasn’t for the faint of heart, and neither was it for anyone not of pure heart.
She didn’t hold herself in any higher regard than anyone else. But she’d spent her life fairly blameless. She’d always tried to do good versus bad, to help others versus hurt them. And the mask was getting more from that energy than from the destructiveness of the man it had been on earlier. She vaguely remembered coming home. But not the details. She was so exhausted. She
remembered snoozing on the couch at the office building, then Sebastian waking her up.
In the back of her mind she remembered a conversation about not wanting to leave him. And it had been the truth. In her state of mind, that was the only thing she could have given, the truth. She didn’t want to play games. She didn’t want to make a competition out of her relationship. She wanted honesty, and the honest truth was, she wanted to be with him. Now and, God help her, forever.
She curled back under the covers and slid her fingers into his. Immediately his fingers closed around hers. She smiled and let her eyes drift closed.
He whispered against her face, his warm breath bathing her cheeks, “You should still be sleeping.”
“I woke up in a strange bed in a strange room,” she said with a chuckle. “That brought me wide awake.”
He smiled, snaked an arm around her and tucked her closer.
She twisted so she was curled, spoon side against him, and laid her head against his arm. She worried about Hunter’s words last night. “Is it really not over?”
Sebastian squeezed her gently. “I’m not sure stuff like this is ever over,” he muttered. “But it should be the end of our involvement.”
“I hope so,” she said. “Are we supposed to go to work today?”
“We’ll be doing something. I have to take you to the police station later to give a statement. But you don’t have to feel like you need to go to the dig.”
“The team is due some days off, aren’t they?”
Sebastian thought about it and nodded. “The next two days are free time anyway. A festival is in town, and everyone has the time off.”
“I need to tell my cousin. Though I don’t want to explain too much to Chana. Not sure I even could.”
“Send her a text,” he said. “Your purse is beside your clothing.”
She thought about it and then nodded. She got up and made her way to the bathroom. When she came back out, she grabbed her cell phone and sent her cousin a text, then slipped back under the covers.
“What did you tell her?”
“Unexpectedly spent the night somewhere else,” she said with a laugh. Her phone buzzed. She read the message out loud. “Hope you and Sebastian have a good day together. If you need me, text me.” Lacey smiled. “That’s what cousins are for.”
He smiled and kissed her on her cheek. “It’s nice to see you’re close.”
“I never asked,” she said. “Do you have any family?”
He chuckled. “Parents both live in Illinois.”
“No siblings?”
He shook his head. “No siblings but the men in the foundation were like brothers. We did a lot of traveling together, a lot of working together, a lot of living together at these sites.”
“You mean, Jeremiah and Callum?”
“Yes. Now Colin, Callum’s brother, is my partner.”
“I haven’t met Colin.”
“No. He’s far away, looking at something in the Amazon.”
“All under the same foundation umbrella?”
“Exactly. It still works out well for the two of us though,” he clarified.
“Who inherited after Jeremiah passed on?”
“Technically his part of the foundation was split between the two of us.”
She nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Yes.” He snugged her closer against him. “Can you sleep some more?”
She shook her head. “I’ll be tired later, but I’m wide awake now.”
“Good,” he said, rolling her over so she was on her back, pinned beneath him.
She raised her eyebrows, and a smile formed on her lips. “Why?” she asked in a gentle voice. “What do you have in mind?”
He lowered his head gently, his tongue tracing the outline of her lips. “I don’t know,” he said, his warm breath bathing her face as he dropped kisses beneath her chin and down her neck. “It seems like we have an opportunity to spend a little time together without the rest of the world intruding.”
“I’m always open to that.” She laughed. She stroked his hair and whispered, “I should have realized we’d end up here.”
He nodded, surging up a little bit higher so he could kiss her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids. “You should have,” he said. “From the minute our energies blended together, you should have known.”
“Well, give me a break,” she said on a laugh. “It’s not like I have much experience seeing energy.”
“Not a problem,” he said. “I’ll teach you.” He lowered his head and kissed her.
They shared such a connection, such a meeting of two energies, it was almost like she could feel the sparks. Heat flowed from his mouth to hers. She lay here, stunned, as she felt not passion but his energy soothing the inside of her system, her muscles, her tissue, before reaching the end of her fingertips and the end of her toes. “Is it supposed to be like that?” she asked in wonder.
“Absolutely,” he whispered, his voice thick, guttural. “When it’s right, it’s right.” And he kissed her again, this time his tongue sliding inside her mouth to tangle gently with hers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to experience everything he had to offer. This was such a new world for her. Not just the energy stuff or this weird feeling when his kisses slid all the way to the base of her toes but just knowing she was with a man who she could respect and care for like she did Sebastian.
It had been a long time since her last relationship, and it had ended with her not hating him but hating what her ex-boyfriend had become. Somebody too selfish to help another. And she knew Sebastian would never be like that.
Soon her bra was off and tossed to the floor. She chuckled. “You’re not just great with history. You’re also great with the present day, aren’t you?”
He loomed over her and gave her a snarky smile. “Sweetheart, with you, I will be the best I can be anytime,” he promised.
And he proceeded to show her—his hands hot but gentle as they caressed every inch of her, smoothly divesting her of the last of her clothing. She moaned and twisted in his arms, loving the feeling of being connected in such an intimate way. Sparks flared at just the touch of his hands on her skin, sending her senses into overdrive.
Finally she wrapped her arms around him, demanding he come to her. He chuckled and took off his boxers, and she reached down to grasp his erection—sliding up and down to explore the full measure of it.
He pulled her hands away and promised, “Next time.” His voice was thick. “I can’t wait this time.”
And without any more warning, he slid inside and kept going right to the hilt.
She lay stunned as the energetic weird sensation that had flowed through her body with his kisses now floated upward through her soul with his possession. She arched her back, crying out, “I’ve never felt anything like this.”
“I haven’t either,” he said. “Send that same energy back to me.”
And she did. She closed her eyes and let all the energy in her heart, her body and her passion flow down her body into his, back up to his head and down to his toes. He cried out as the energy circulated from one to the other. They were both locked in a loop of an energy force field so much bigger than they were. And yet, it was here because of them, because of who they were and who they became together.
When he could, he started to move. With his arms shaking, he slowly pulled out and then slid all the way in. She wrapped her thighs high up around his hips to stop him from pulling out too far. Then, as if something inside him snapped, he plunged deep, his back arching as he drove faster and faster.
When he reached down between them to touch the tiny nub, she cried out as her climax rippled through her. But it wasn’t a normal climax. It was as if their combined energy had amplified every sensation. Every bit of her skin buzzed; the inside of her throbbed and pounded as her life took on a whole new meaning. She heard him cry out above her as he slowly collapsed atop her, still holding his weight on his arms
to protect her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her body thrumming in joy.
He whispered, “Are you okay?” His hands slid up, touching the tears in the corner of her eyes.
She could barely speak. “I’m much more than okay.”
He wrapped her up tight, fell to her side and pulled her close. “Good,” he whispered. “Because I’m absolutely fantastic.” He pulled the sheets over them and whispered, “Now sleep, if you can.”
And she didn’t need any more urging. She closed her eyes and let sleep take her back under.
*
Sebastian woke up an hour later. Somehow Lacey had shifted to the far side of the bed, the covers tossed off her, and she lay spread-eagle across the mattress, completely comfortable in her skin. And a beautiful skin it was. He leaned over and kissed her gently at the nape of her neck. Then he got off the bed, went into the bathroom and had a shower.
It was later than he had expected, but he wouldn’t get upset about it. This time spent with Lacey was too special. When he stepped out of the shower, she was still sleeping. He dressed and walked into the kitchen, finding Hunter sitting there. “Did you make coffee?”
Hunter shook his head. “No, I haven’t been up very long.” His voice was groggy, tired.
“Did you go back out hunting again?”
Hunter nodded grimly. “Honest to God, I tracked that energy back here to the apartment building.”
In the act of making coffee, Sebastian froze, then turned to look at him. “Here?”
“I don’t know how,” Hunter said, “but it came upstairs.”
Sebastian slowly finished putting the coffee on to brew and collapsed into the chair beside his friend. “Did you see black energy and psychic footprints in the hall?”
Hunter nodded. “I did.”
“This far down?”
Grimly Hunter nodded. “Yes. But also at the other apartment door.”