MARKED (Hunter Awakened)

by Rascal Hearts

  It would be everything that a movie or TV show or book made you think a kiss should be. It'd be fireworks and explosions. Fire and heat. It'd be desire and need mixed with the promise of something strong and solid for the future. It would make my knees week and my entire body hot. When it happened, it'd change everything.

  The sound of someone clearing his throat next to me made me blink and pull my mind back from where it had been vacationing. Paul had a half-smile on his face as he pointed towards my cart. Six boxes of instant potatoes were piled on top of the smallest turkey I'd been able to find. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks.

  “Not a word,” I muttered as I put all but one of the boxes back. “Not a single word.”

  Paul mimed locking his mouth and throwing away the key. True to his silent promise, he didn't say a word as I finished purchasing everything I needed and we headed back to the car. He even helped me bring in the groceries without a single comment. That was good. I had a lot to do.

  Later that night, as I finished my last scene—a personally cathartic confrontation with Summer's character Samantha—I was thrilled at how well things had gone through the whole day. I'd gotten a little overexcited at the prospect of the meal and had decided to start planning as soon as I'd gotten the groceries put away. I'd found every recipe I'd wanted and figured out the timetable I would need to follow in order to have all of the food ready by the time Elias came by at six.

  There hadn't been any last minute script changes and we'd had minimal issues while filming. It had been nice to have had a busy day that was just that. Busy, but not really that stressful. I really hoped that meant the insanity of the past several days was fading and everything would be getting back to normal soon. Maybe once things calmed down a bit, Elias would be more open to making our relationship a little less professional.

  As if my thoughts had summoned him, Elias was suddenly there as the director cut from the final shot. Well, he wasn't exactly right there. He was keeping the traditional bodyguard distance. It was just my awareness of him that made it seem so much closer. It was crazy how I always seemed to know when he was nearby. It was how I imagined magnets must feel, that inexplicable draw to one another. I was pretty sure Elias felt the same way, but it would've been nice to have some kind of sign to let me know that I wasn't just wasting my time. Men could be so frustrating sometimes.

  I forced myself to pull my attention from Elias and turn it towards my friends. I smiled at Amy. “When did you say that your flight was leaving?”

  “Six,” she said, glancing at the wall clock. “Which means I need to get going if I'm going to make it to the plane on time. Good thing I can sleep on the flight because I have a feeling my nieces and nephews aren't going to give me a minute's peace when I get to my sister's.”

  The grin on her face said that she was going to love every minute of her trip to Wisconsin.

  “How many of them do you have now?” I asked.

  “Six, but only four from my sister. The other two are my brother's kids, so I won't see them until Thursday.” Amy picked up her purse, then turned to give me a hug. “You be safe.”

  “I will,” I promised. I wasn't exactly sure how I was supposed to keep that promise, considering I hadn't exactly been looking for trouble when it'd found me before.

  “I don't like the idea of you being alone on Thanksgiving,” Bryson said as he came over, a frown on his handsome face. It looked very out of place there. Other than when it was called for in a script, I didn't think I'd ever seen him frown. “Not with everything that's happened.” He reached out and took my hand. “You're more than welcome to come over for as long or short as you want, even if it's just for Thanksgiving. I know my parents would love to meet you.”

  “Thanks.” I squeezed his hand. “But I'll be fine.”

  “Are you sure?” Bryson asked. “I just don't want you to spend Thursday alone.”

  “She will not be alone”

  Elias was suddenly at my side, his voice even, though I could've sworn I heard a bit of steel in it.

  “I will be watching her.”

  Bryson's eyes widened slightly and he turned to me, myriad questions crossing his face. Fortunately, he chose not to ask any of them because I wasn't sure what was going on either. Instead, he released my hand, took a step back and nodded. “All right then. But if you change your mind, the invitation stands. We're eating at two.”

  “Thanks, Bryson. I'll keep that in mind.” I really did appreciate the invitation, but I knew that I wouldn't take him up on it. Not as long as Elias was still planning on being at my house on Thursday. No way was I going to give up my opportunity to have him all to myself.

  Chapter Eight

  My stomach was twisting itself into so many knots that I wasn't sure I would be able to eat a single bite of the fantastic meal I'd spent the entire day preparing. I hadn't been able to sleep when I'd gotten home from filming yesterday, so I'd done as much prep work as possible, which hadn't been as much as I'd thought it would be. I'd been pacing, unable to sit still, when I'd decided that I wanted to do something I hadn't done since the first year I'd moved into this house.

  I wanted to decorate for Christmas, and I wanted to do it like my parents had done it. Not because I was feeling particularly nostalgic about my parents, but because I'd finally realized that it didn't matter. Just because I didn't like the reasons behind what they'd done didn't mean I couldn't take the parts of their traditions that I liked and make them my own. It was time to stop thinking that I couldn't do things for the holidays by myself because it was just me.

  So, yesterday afternoon, I'd spent the day digging decorations out of my attic and getting them sorted out. Because my parents hadn't been able to pay back the court-ordered restitution, I'd gotten the court to order a liquidation sale at the old house. I'd saved a few things and had the rest auctioned off. It had helped me put down the down payment on this house.

  Most of what I'd taken had been things that I'd collected as a child, but I hadn't been able to bring myself to part with the boxes of Christmas decorations. I hadn't used or even opened them before yesterday and it had been a bit emotional, remembering those past holidays, but after I'd finished sorting through everything, I'd felt much better. Some of the things had gone into the trash, but I'd kept enough that my house would be very festive.

  Now I was starting to feel a little foolish about my plans for the night. How did I even know that Elias celebrated Christmas? And if he did, what made me think that he'd want to help me decorate? I hadn't planned on doing the tree yet because I didn't have one and I didn't want to go buy a fake one, but I'd wanted to do everything else after our meal. I'd been so excited about my plans that I hadn't even stopped to consider what Elias would think of them.

  I set my jaw. If he didn't like them, too bad. Either I'd decorate after he left or he could spend the evening watching me, and I'd know that he'd never be anything other than my bodyguard. I'd be disappointed, but at least I'd know.

  It was almost six o'clock. I checked my reflection one last time. Finding the right balance of casual and dressy had been excruciating. It was no wonder that I'd barely slept at all last night. It had taken me three hours to choose what I was wearing now, and I was starting to feel like maybe I'd made a mistake. I'd gone with a pair of dressy dark blue skinny jeans and a sleeveless dove gray turtleneck, finished off by my favorite pair of ankle-high boots.

  The outfit complemented my figure and was more than just an 'around the house' type thing, but it was simple and comfortable enough that I didn't think it'd say that I had any expectations for the night. I stuck with that strategy for make-up too. The bruises on my face were still fading, so I used a bit of light powder, and my favorite lipgloss, but that was it. There were times when I liked having the whole eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara thing going on, but I didn't want that today. This wasn't a date or a fancy party. This was just two people spending a holiday together rather than spending it alone.

  I was
still telling myself that as I walked down the stairs. I might've managed to convince myself that I wasn't hoping that this turned out to be more if, the moment I heard the doorbell ring, the knot in my stomach hadn't turned into butterflies. I hurried the rest of the way, skidding to a stop in front of the door. I took a deep breath and breathed a prayer of thanks that Elias wouldn't be able to hear my heart pounding. I just hoped he took the pink in my cheeks either for make-up or exertion from all I'd been doing.

  I smiled, hoped it didn't look fake, and opened the door. The first thing I saw was that Elias hadn't worn his typical bodyguard suit and he looked better than ever. He filled out his suit just fine, but his current outfit definitely made me think things that were not even close to appropriate for a boss to be thinking about her employee.

  A long-sleeved, fitted dark green shirt that made his eyes pop, and a pair of dressy jeans that rode that line between tastefully snug and advertising his goods... wow. It wasn't until I'd been ogling him for nearly half a minute that I realized he was holding something towards me. It was harder than it should have been to pull my gaze away from his body to see what it was, but I was instantly glad I had because he was holding a pair of absolutely beautiful flowers.

  “Oh.” The word came out in a breath as I reached for them. They couldn't be what I thought they were. One was light lavender, the other a bright blue, both flowers that I'd only seen in pictures before. “Elias, these aren't...?”

  “Cattieya Trianaei and Thelymitra Ixioides,” he supplied the Latin names. “Orchids.”

  I nodded my head, unable to look away from them. I knew the names. In fact, I knew a lot about them, including the fact that they were two of the rarest orchids in the world. When I was thirteen, I'd landed the movie role of Orchid Lane, an autistic teenager who goes to live with her mother in a cult compound after her father dies. One of the ways Orchid coped with the changes in her life had been with her orchid obsession. Rather than just learning the facts that she spouted, I'd done my own research on the flower and had fallen in love with it, with all of the sub-species. I'd always imagined that, one day, I'd own a greenhouse specifically designed for growing all of the different types of the flower. These two had always been my favorite.

  “Miss—Teal, is something wrong?”

  I looked up, startled. I'd almost forgotten that Elias was there... standing on the porch. “Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry. Come in, come in.”

  I took a step back so that he could enter. Both he and Paul had their own keys, but Elias was still at the stage where he waited to be let in. I understood. It had taken Paul a couple of months before he'd felt comfortable coming in on his own at the beginning of his shift, and even he knocked when he was coming by outside of his normal schedule.

  “I thought I had read somewhere that orchids were your favorite flower,” Elias said as he stepped past me. “I hope that I was not remiss in bringing these to you.”

  He smelled absolutely delicious, I thought. It was almost enough to distract me from the flowers I held. Not quite though. These were exquisite flowers. “They are, my favorite I mean,” I hurried to reassure him. “And they're lovely. I love them. It's just that these are really rare. Where in the world did you find them?” I was aware that I was on the verge of babbling.

  “I have a—friend who specializes in rare flowers.” He smiled down at me, a genuine, unmasked smile. It was almost as beautiful as the flowers.

  “Thank you so much.” I tore my eyes away from him and looked at the delicate petals in front of me. “And thank your friend. I've always wanted to see these in real life, but I never thought I'd have the chance.”

  “Shall we put them in some water?”

  I could hear the pride in his voice and loved that I had helped put it there. He'd obviously wanted to get me something special, and knowing that he'd succeeded had made him happy. I wondered if he was that way with everyone, or if it was just me. It might've been a bit arrogant and selfish, but I kind of hoped that it was just me. “I keep the vases in the curio in the dining room.”

  It turned out that the one thing my table had been missing was flowers. I hadn't wanted Elias to feel awkward with just the two of us sitting at the dining room table I rarely used, so I'd set things up on the table I usually used in my kitchen. It made things seem a lot more casual. It also gave me an excuse to sit closer to Elias than the dining room table would've.

  We chatted about everyday, boring stuff as we made our plates and carried them over to the table. The conversation faded in and out as we ate, but the silence was never awkward. It was strange, I thought, how someone I barely knew could make me feel so comfortable. Every so often, I'd glance at the flowers, a warmth going through me each time. Not only had it been sweet that he'd brought me flowers, but he'd remembered from something he'd read that they were my favorite.

  “So,” I decided to move the subject to something a little more personal. We weren't close enough for anything deep, but I had a thousand questions I wanted to ask. “What made you decide to become a bodyguard?”

  He looked surprised by the question, as if he'd never considered it before. Interesting. The origin stories were generally the most commonly asked questions in this industry. Why did you become an actor? What made you choose acting as a career? What or who was your main influence in the decision to pursue such-and-such a field? My parents had drilled my answer into my head since I couldn't very well say that it was because they'd pushed me into it and made me feel like I owed it to them for rescuing me from a life of being shuttled from one foster home to another.

  The answer I'd given until I was free of them? When you grow up in front of the camera, there comes a moment, even as a child, where you realize that this is what you were born to do. And, of course, I'd always had to add that I was so grateful to my parents for getting me started in film. I hoped that Elias's story wasn't like mine. That one hadn't had a very happy beginning, though the middle was much better so far.

  “I do not know if I ever truly decided that this would be my chosen profession.” He started out slow, like he had to think about what he was saying before he said it. “I have always wanted to help people, to protect them. It is, I believe, in my nature, and has been for as long as I can remember. Doing this just seemed to be a way for me to do this and make a living.”

  Interesting. I leaned forward slightly. “I'd think that the first thought for someone who wanted to protect people would be policeman, fireman, soldier, maybe a paramedic. Bodyguard is usually what people like Paul do, men who were one of those things and need a civilian job.”

  “Paul?”

  There was a glint of something that I thought almost looked like jealousy in Elias's eyes, but it was gone before I could really analyze it. Instead of dwelling on it, I decided to answer his question. “Paul enlisted in the Marines right out of high school, and he spent three of his four years overseas. When he came back to the States, he wanted something different and ended up here.” I took a sip of the red wine I'd poured. “But your paperwork didn't say anything about being in the military.”

  “I suppose,” he said. “That those noble professions would seem obvious for someone like myself who stated that he wished to protect people, but as I considered every option, this one appealed to me the most.”

  Something about his tone told me that this line of questioning wouldn't be going any further into his personal life. I gave him a smile and turned to other things.

  As the meal progressed, I learned that his favorite desert was blueberry cobbler, his favorite color was dark green and that he'd always wanted to own a St. Bernard. All of this was good, but I was sensing that he was purposefully keeping things just at surface level. That, I supposed, left it to me to allow things to get personal.

  When we finished our meal, I told him that there was something I wanted us to do before we had dessert. “When I was growing up, my favorite part of Thanksgiving was when we finished the main meal, everyone would help decorate the
house. I'd really like it if you'd help me decorate.” Okay, so I didn't let it get too personal either.

  Elias looked surprised, but he didn't run away screaming either, so that was something. When he nodded, I could feel my smile stretching wide enough to hurt. As I led him into the living room where I'd set everything out, the excitement bubbled up inside of me, and it wasn't just because Elias was here. I'd forgotten how much I'd loved this time of year. I gave him a sideways glance as I turned on the Christmas music and earned one of his rare real smiles. He seemed to be enjoying himself as well.

  “Are there particular places on which you wish these decorations to hang?” Elias picked up a garland.

  I shook my head. “Surprise me.”

  And that was when I learned something very important about Elias Bane. He could actually be a little silly.

  He took two long strides and hooked the garland around my shoulders. My heart gave a silly little flutter. He pulled me towards him, our eyes locking. This was it, I thought. He was going to kiss me. He tossed the end of the garland around my neck like a scarf, the twinkle in his eyes turning into a smolder. I was suddenly very aware that we were alone in the house.

  “Thank you, Teal, for inviting me to share your holiday meal.” His voice was low, running over me like warm water. “It has been a long time since I have had company on a holiday.”

  I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. All he had to do was lean a little closer. The electricity was growing between us, I could feel it. I'd played characters who were supposed to have this type of connection with someone, and I could portray it perfectly, but I didn't know what to do now that it was real.

  Then Elias was taking a step back and the spell was broken. “Where shall we put this?” He picked up a wreath.