TheHealers

by Lynsie Buchanan

  The timer on the oven suddenly alerted me to what my nose could already smell. My fish was ready. The aroma of dill and lemon filled the air of my kitchen. Just as I was putting some of the fish on my plate a sound at the door diverted my attention. It was dark outside and being a single woman who lived alone, I was usually careful. My body tugged me toward the door against the caution that my level headed mind argued for. I felt intoxicated. What was putting my senses into overload?

  “Who is it?” I called through the door.

  “I just moved in next door.” The male voice said something else but all I could make out was that he was a neighbor. I knew the condo next door had been sold so I pulled open the wood door. His size made me immediately wish I had grabbed my gun first.

  “Hi.” I managed to get out. The rest of my body tried to catch up with my mind. Warmth overtook my senses and I was pretty sure my freckled face was blushing. Great. What on earth was wrong with me? Briefly, in the back of my mind, I reminded myself that I didn’t believe in chemical attraction, but everything about him screamed my body to attention.

  “Hi. I’m Alexander.” His great big caramel eyes looked up at my face and a hidden smile on his lips indicated that I might have been drooling. I wondered why he had to look up and then realized he must have been checking me out. If I hadn’t blushed before, I did now. He didn’t offer his hand, and this made me think he wasn’t from Texas. I wanted to touch him. Should I just stick my hand out and force him? He did lock eyes with me and they felt familiar. This pull of my body to him was exactly the kind of thing every girl knew you should run from.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Layna.” There was a look in his eyes. Almost wistful, but it was soon erased with a blank face. I stood there continuing to admire him. His hair lay straight all around his head, just barely touching his ears in a dark shade that almost matched his eyes. The sculpted way his cheekbones met his eyes and mouth reminded me of the incredibly dumb guys that were plastered all over every women’s magazine. I didn’t even have a chance to gaze down and enjoy the rest of the picturesque scene in my doorway before he opened his mouth again.

  “I know this sounds ridiculous,” he began—oh I hoped he wouldn’t sound like an idiot just because he was so gorgeous— “but, I can’t find a knife anywhere to cut open all the boxes I taped up. I’m sure I set it down in all the mess and it will eventually turn up.” There was a distinct sound in his voice that I couldn’t place. It was almost like maybe he had a slight accent, but I couldn’t be sure. Those eyes were still focused on me. I wondered if I was breathing. My gaze traveled up to take in his full appearance. This guy must have been at least six feet four inches. The rest of his body was hardened in a way that let me know right off he was probably more obsessed with himself than anything else. Even though I knew he was most likely sporting a huge ego, I couldn’t tear myself away from admiring him. Feeling out of control like this did not sit well with me.

  A nervous giggle came out of my lips, “Um, Yeah sure. I mean, I have a knife you can borrow. Or actually some scissors. Will that work?” I sounded like a complete idiot. Walk away now, Layna. But I couldn’t. Something pulled at me.

  “Yeah, that would be great.” I heard it again. There was definitely something hiding in his dialect. It seemed to be most pronounced when he made the r sound. He smiled and nodded his head. A small strand of hair caught on the scruffy part of his face. His hand moved to push the hair and my lips parted in a breath. Those dark eyes trained on me instantly. I averted my gaze before he knew how much I wanted to touch.

  Just then, the phone rang and saved me from being a complete fool. My mind pleaded with my body to come away from the arrogant guy at the door. He must be arrogant—anyone that looked that good had to be.

  “Can you come in for a minute?” I stood still as his smell hit me when he did step in. Rocky and rough mountain ranges mixed with waterfalls. His scent matched the rugged manly appeal dripping off of his body.

  I glanced up at his face to make sure I hadn’t been too obvious and his eyes indicated that he was possibly deep in thought as well. I secretly hoped he was being drawn to my coconut and lily scent. My body started to shiver a little as my mind wandered back to when I had spread the lotion on my skin before I had gotten dressed this morning. Thoughts of me naked with him standing this close made me lose all reason. I got lost in trance with his eyes and then I ran to answer the phone as I watched his hands gently close the door. Yes, I had to run. It seemed more sensible than reaching out to grab him and tackle him right there on the floor. I really needed to get a grip on my hormones. Had I changed something in my diet recently?

  “Sure. I really appreciate it.” The deep voice trailed down the hallway to me while he stood politely at the door. I was able to still sneak peeks at him while standing in the kitchen since the layout of the house was pretty open.

  A fast glance at the phone told me it was Leo.

  “Hey there.”

  “Hi. Things are a little crazy here so I might be out longer than I thought.” I could hear the seriousness in his voice.

  “Can I call you back in a minute?” I asked as I looked at the man in my door way that drove my body to tremors.

  “Is everything okay?” His voice was a little strained now and concerned.

  “I’m just helping out my new neighbor.” It probably was best not to mention that a hot man stood in my house right now.

  “Okay. Just call me back when you can.” A sour tone in his voice sounded in my ears.

  “Sure. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.” I hung up the phone before he could start interrogating me about the weird tone in my voice.

  I walked back down the hallway that brought me from the kitchen to the front door. It really was a miracle that I was able to put one foot in front of the other. Those warm creamy gleams of tourmaline eyes followed me the whole way. His eyes echoed my favorite color of tourmaline. It was the dark brown variation that was also called dravite. Most people weren’t even aware of it, but it was truly one of my favorite stones.

  I stood there looking at him. He stood there looking at me. He was giving me a look that seemed to say he knew me, but then he wiped his face blank and stood expressionless. I suddenly remembered the scissors.

  “Oops.” Slipped out of my mouth as I padded my bare feet back into the kitchen to get the scissors.

  A resolve started to settle in my mind to touch him when I handed off the scissors. If he made my body feel disoriented just standing by him, what would it feel like to touch him? There was only one way to find out.

  “Here you go.” I worked hard to make my voice sound calm as my arm stretched out to his.

  “Thanks.” His gaze seemed to be stuck on me as well, but maybe I just wanted him to be. It made sense that I was imagining him reciprocating my sudden obsession.

  As I pushed the scissors into his hand, I gracefully, of course, skirted my thumb down the length of his first finger.

  Time stopped.

  All coherent thoughts escaped me as I attempted to drown myself in this feeling. It was warm and electric at the same time. My body fed off of it for what felt like eternity, and then he dropped his hand and stepped back.

  My eyes looked up at his filled with questions.

  “Thanks,” he said again coldly.

  I stood, numb and confused. He had magic, too. I knew it.

  “See you around,” I replied. The right words refused to come out of my mouth, so there wasn’t anything else for me to say.

  He simply walked out the door and shut it behind him without another word. I could almost feel when he passed out of the vicinity of my yard as the tingling left my body. The feeling seemed stronger since our touch. Is that why he had been careful not to touch me?

  A few steps and my back hit the door, then I slid down.

  I decided to do my best to stay away from him from now on. No way did I want to be another gawking girl to give him a notch on his belt.

  Why coul
d I feel him?

  Chapter Eight

  Finally, it was the end of the week and I was on my last appointment. A new patient. As I glanced through her file, I felt little pains throughout my body. It was going to be a rough afternoon. I went out to meet her and bring her in.

  “Hi. I’m Layna Covington. It’s nice to meet you.” I gave her my warmest smile.

  “Hello. I’m Lila.” Her shy green eyes looked back at me and then shifted away.

  We shook hands and she followed me back into my office. She sat down on the bone colored suede sofa cushion that was surrounded in brown leather. I took my seat opposite of her in a chair that matched the sofa. My chair is deliberately placed close enough to reach my clients if necessary and I was certainly prepared in this situation.

  “How are you feeling today, Lila?”

  The fumbling of her fingers allowed me to see how uneasy she was feeling. She looked so young. Her platinum blonde hair seemed to glow as opposed to the dark aura that was clouding the rest of her. Sometimes, I could get a really good sense of what was inside of the person when I focused on them. This was not hard at all with Lila.

  “I’m not really sleeping that well lately,” she replied. And again, no eye contact.

  “Are you having trouble falling asleep? Or, are you woken up after already being asleep?” My voice was calm, but I needed to know the extent to which her trauma inflicted on her sleep. People don’t always realize how crucial good sleep is. This is the body’s natural way to heal things.

  “Both.” Her eyes darted around the room and finally rested on her fingers.

  “Alright. Let’s start with falling asleep. What do you think is keeping you from relaxing at night?” I leaned over my legs as far as I could without touching Lila. I could almost feel her breaths getting shorter and more strained.

  “I…I’m...I see things. When I close my eyes, I see things that scare me.” Her voice dropped off at the end as though she couldn’t finish. I had read her file and I knew what she was seeing. It almost made me see red as I watched her live through it. What kind of person in their right mind claimed to help people when they caused harm? Poor Lila. I knew what medication she was currently taking and I knew we were going to get her off of it. This was a side effect of the anti-depressant she was on. It created the harmful things she saw in her sleep and disturbed the part of her brain that was affected by it.

  My eyes locked with hers and I began, “You are going to get past this.” My hands gently reached out to touch hers. To the naked eye it appeared as though I offered her sympathy. And I was. But, I also offered an alternative to the unhealthy toxins that had been pushing through her blood. My hands started to feel the tingly buzz that came from breaking her body of the addiction. I felt when it left and sat back in the chair a bit more exhausted than before. I was still learning how this worked, but it seemed to wear my body out each time.

  I reached into a basket by my chair and pulled out a vial of lavender oil. I was hoping to talk before she realized what had happened.

  “This is a pure form of lavender oil. I want you to use this at night time to help your body start getting some rest. You can either put a few drops in a spray bottle with spring water and spray your pillow, or put a few drops on a tissue and place that on your pillow.” I glanced at her to see that she was soothed from our contact. There was a peacefulness that seemed to settle over her features.

  “I sprayed a little lavender in the room so that you would begin feeling its effects. It’s likely that you already feel a little calmer. Is it working?”

  Her eyes met mine again and her voice came out, “Yes.”

  Wonderful. I had taken it out. I had no idea how and the power scared me, but I was overcome with happiness at the good it had done for Lila. It’s incredible how the power to help others overrides the fear. In some ways, I was a little high from it. The endorphins that kicked into my body along with the exhaustion were almost drug like. It felt a little too good. Hopefully, it wasn’t addictive.

  Chapter Nine

  My eyes abruptly opened and I suddenly became aware of the moisture that covered my body. Only panties were visible from the waist down and my chest was covered with a loose white camisole. A look at the clock on my night stand let me know it was the middle of the night. It appeared that I had struggled out of my pajamas while in a deep sleep. Fear began to grip my thoughts as I began to replay the serpent silently sliding over my duvet cover. It came closer to me in the bed. My legs wanted to move but I felt frozen. Was I numb with fear or anticipation?

  Slowly, my breath began to find its normal rhythm. It was just a nightmare. This wasn’t real. Although, I did take a quick peek around my room to make sure there weren’t any slithery friends.

  Just when my mind began to settle, a noise caused my heart to race again. It sounded like breaking glass. The shock of it slowed my responses, and it took me a moment to realize it came from the front of my house and not from my head. Somehow my head thought clearly enough to send a signal to my hand. The hand quickly found the safe under the bed. My hand was flat on the safe and depressing my fingers in the passcode as I heard a knock at the front door. There was no way I would open the door.

  The gun safe popped open and I grabbed the stainless steel weapon, otherwise known as my baby eagle, and my cell phone all in one motion. It also occurred to me that I felt a little cold since I lacked some of my clothes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because someone had joined me in bed. I placed the cell phone on the bed, but I would not part with my gun. I managed to find my cotton pants tangled up with the white sheets toward the bottom of the bed. As I slid my legs through the pants, still gripping the gun, I heard another tap at my door and a muffled voice followed that. Shit! I would have to move closer to hear the muffled voice. Or was it a trick so the burglars could get me closer to the broken glass? In the back of my mind I still wondered why my alarm had not gone off. My eyes searched the wall of my bedroom and I saw that a red light illuminated from the alarm pad. This would indicate the alarm still guarded the house, however, the broken glass I heard just a few moments ago would say otherwise.

  With my cell phone in one hand and my gun in the other I began to tiptoe out of the bedroom. The race of my heart and my mind shook my body into a fit of trembles. I continued to move down the hallway that opened up to my living room on my left and my kitchen on my right. It was dark, but I was able to see my way. The moon lit up the midsection of the house because of the uncovered windows in the living room. All the windows appeared to be intact in the living room as I glanced around. However, immediately to my right I saw the jagged shiny pieces scattered all over the tile. My feet instinctively started to walk that way, but I stopped them. I didn’t want to get hurt, and what if there was still someone at the window that waited for me? Someone knocked at my door again. I could hear the muffled voice again and this time it sounded male. My fingers didn’t hesitate anymore.

  No…I didn’t shoot, I dialed 911. A dispatcher took my information and advised me to stay away from the door until the police came to assist me. I still clutched the phone and the gun as I yelled out to the door,

  “The police are on their way and I have a big gun!” I thought I heard a snicker from the door and I felt my chest swell with infuriated passion. What kind of burglar was this? The kind that likes to torment you, my brain quickly supplied.

  “Is there someone in your house?” the 911 dispatcher asked.

  “There’s someone at my door, I think.” My voice quivered on the phone to her.

  That furious indignant emotion I had over the snicker in my ears lured me closer to the door. I could finally make out the muffled words.

  “It’s Alexander, from next door. I heard loud noises and came to check on you.” Oh, so that meant he was safe and I should trust him. Yeah, right. He’d left practically running the other night while I stood there helpless and full of questions.

  “I think you’re the one that needs protection, since yo
u’re outside and I’m in here,” my snippy voice retorted.

  “Please stay away from the door until the officer arrives. I’ll let you know when he’s there and it’s safe to open the door.” The dispatcher’s voice calmly echoed in my ear. I had almost forgotten she was still on the phone.

  I heard Alexander’s voice come through the door.

  “I just want to make sure you’re okay. I can wait on the doorstep until the police arrive.” There was a distinct accent coming through with his words. It probably came out more in the middle of the night when a person had been sleeping. His voice did sound a little sleepy, like he had probably been awakened from the commotion. It was slightly believable that he had heard it, since these houses were built within inches of each other. But still…a little bit of overkill on the Good Samaritan thing. I would have just nicely called 911 for my neighbor from the comfort of my own house.

  “Suit yourself.” The words just fell out of my mouth. My brain was still in shock. This area had never experienced any problems before with vandalism or theft.

  Well, I guessed we were just going to sit in silence, because I was not going to continue to carry on a conversation through the door, and I would not let a strange man in my house—certainly not after someone had just smashed a window in my kitchen. I could still feel his presence outside. My magic most definitely noticed his. It sounded as though maybe he spoke again, but it was an extremely hushed sound. I decided to go ahead and point my gun and have it ready just in case he was in cahoots with the other vandal and they were about to bombard the door.

  Thankfully, no such drama occurred. We just had a sort of peaceful silence. His presence continued to emanate into me and I didn’t feel as stressed. I started to ponder all of this when I heard some vehicles moving on the street. The dispatcher’s voice came through on the phone again,