“I’m up for it.” Micah refused to let her think he was weak. He could rise to her challenge, unspoken or not. “Let’s get this all out in the open.”
Finn looked up from his plate, a tawny eyebrow raised in interest. “I heard you got your feet wet today, Micah. Kicks the shit out of you the first time, doesn’t it?”
Jacquelyn shifted in her seat, a forkful of food halfway between the plate and her mouth. “I thought you went out there yourself, Finn. You said there was nothing worth finding.”
“I said I didn’t feel anything unusual. Fear, mostly. Wouldn’t you be scared shitless if a cougar was eating you alive?”
“Sure.” Micah infused his voice with confidence. “But a cougar didn’t attack that man. No animal did.”
Finn scoffed. “Out on the job once and you’re already a big man. How would you know what killed him? Fear is fear. Period.”
Finn’s blue eyes sparkled, and the superior glower on his face drew a line in the sand. He was the veteran, confident in his abilities, the one with experience. And more importantly, he was the one sitting next to her. Never had Micah wanted to run toward his gift. Until now. It had opened a door to something more and to someone he wanted to get to know. He wasn’t about to close it.
“It wasn’t what I felt, Finn,” Micah said with a proud sneer. “It’s what I saw.”
Finn’s eyes widened a fraction of an inch, but he masked his surprise beneath a smirk. He looked slowly to Jacquelyn, and then Trish.
“It’s true,” Trish confirmed. “Micah is more than just an empath. He is immersed so deeply in emotion, it manifests as a vision.”
“So let me get this straight.” A burst of anger exploded in Micah’s stomach as Finn pushed his chair away from the table, cracked each individual knuckle on his hand. “This guy shows up out of nowhere, you drag him out to the woods, throw him down where Willie died, and just take him at his word?” His voice rose, and a wave of jealousy rolled off of him like a breaker at high tide. “No questions asked?”
Jacquelyn looked down at her plate, her chest rising and falling with her speeding breath. Anxiety overwhelmed Finn’s temper, drowning out every other sensation, crawling across Micah’s skin like prickling droplets of cold rain. He couldn’t stand knowing how she felt. Finn had shown him, plain and simple, that Jacquelyn belonged to him even though her body language told him the feeling wasn’t mutual. But his hostility toward Micah was obviously upsetting her.
“Honestly, man, I didn’t expect to be here any longer than it took to fill up my goddamned gas tank.” Defensive, maybe, but Finn needed to be put in his place. “I didn’t ask for any of this shit, but I stepped right in it.” Finn shoved the chair further out from behind him and stood. Not to be intimidated, Micah followed suit and leaned over the table for emphasis. “I can’t help what I felt or what I saw. But something evil killed that man. Three somethings to be exact. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before or want to see again. And you can damn well take me for my word on that.”
Finn sank heavily into his chair and looked askance at Jacquelyn. “Furies, Finn,” she replied. “Your nothing-out-of-the-ordinary turned out to be sort of a big deal, don’t you think?”
Micah looked down at his hostess, her gray-haired head bowed in thought. Some dinner guest he’d turned out to be. “I apologize, Trish. I’m not a very gracious guest. I think I need some air.” He turned toward the door leading off from the kitchen. “Excuse me.”
Micah headed for the back door and stepped outside into the cooling evening air. Trish’s house looked over a wide valley, trees dotting the hills in the distance. Tall mountains ringed the valley, open and spacious without a neighbor in sight. The autumn sun had begun its early retreat, painting the sky in streaks of red and orange. He hadn’t seen a sunset so breathtaking in a long time. Sprawled for miles in front of him was the solitude he’d thought to find in Wyoming. He never would have considered the possibility he’d find it in a small Idaho town, tucked hundreds of miles from nowhere. And that was part of the problem, wasn’t it? Though he knew without a doubt he needed to get in his RV and take the hell off, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Something was keeping him here. The answers to the questions he’d asked all of his life. That and a certain fiery brunette.
He walked to the edge of the wrap-around porch, leaning against the log support. Tracing a finger over the topography of the burnt and varnished wood, he closed his eyes, took a deep cleansing breath.
“Sorry about Finn,” Jacquelyn’s voice shattered the quiet as she spoke from behind him. “He’s having a hard time letting go, and he’s kind of possessive and jealous by nature. It’s nothing personal.”
He kept his eyes closed and turned his back to the log. Feeling her presence was almost as good as seeing her. The concern she felt funneled into him, a warming pulse to put him at ease. Who needed Wyoming? McCall held a great many beautiful things. “You used to date him?” he asked.
“Yeah. But being in a romantic relationship with a Bearer has its disadvantages,” she said with a sad laugh. “Too invasive, you know?”
He thought about their encounter earlier in the day when she begged him not to take her sorrow. “I can understand that,” he said. “But maybe he’s just the wrong Bearer.”
Jacquelyn averted her gaze and wandered toward the edge of the steps that led to the driveway. A heavy silence filled the space between them and Micah refused to push her further. His eyes drifted shut as he enjoyed the warmth of her current emotions. He had no desire to feel the cold sting of her anxiety. She needed a vacation from her life worse than he did. Would she run away if she could?
“You’re thinking about me again,” she murmured. “Your energy is intense, even for a Bearer. I can feel your focus crawling over my skin. I don’t like it.”
“Why?”
“Just don’t do it, okay?”
He opened his eyes, the vibrant sunset darkening to crimson in anticipation of twilight. But when he turned to answer, Jacquelyn had already left, the screen door slamming behind her.
“This is a total load of bullshit,” Finn complained. “I still don’t believe it. He’s running a con or something. No one’s that gifted.”
Jacquelyn gathered the mass of dark curls cascading over her shoulders and bound them in an elastic band near the crown of her head. Sometimes she felt absolutely suffocated under all that hair. Trish had coaxed Micah into helping with the dishes, giving Jacquelyn and Finn time to talk in the living room. She would have taken dish duty over quality time with Finn any day. But obviously Trish was putting a little distance between the two men, and Jacquelyn couldn’t fault her for wanting to avoid another pissing match.
“I think Micah is telling the truth, Finn,” Jacquelyn said with a sigh. “There’s no way he’d know what to describe at the scene. The first time I met him, he was totally oblivious to what he was. Unrealized. Really, Finn, when was the last time you encountered an unrealized Bearer?” A derisive snort answered her. Okay, so he wasn’t convinced, but that didn’t change what Micah was. “I wanted to cut him loose, but Trish thinks he should stick around. I don’t know…maybe she’s right. He obviously needs help coming to terms with what he is. And he might come in handy. If we’re dealing with Furies, we could use the help.”
Finn took her hands, guiding her arms around his waist. He never could take no for an answer. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, Finn. The warmth of his body soaked through his t-shirt, the taut muscles beneath, familiar territory she’d explored with her eyes, hands, mouth more times than she could count. But no matter how familiar he felt, no matter how much she missed having him next to her in bed at night, being with him was just too damned hard. The bad outweighed the good, and she’d never be able to justify remaining in a relationship with Finn if it meant surrendering her emotional sanity.
“Jax,” Finn bent low, whispered against her ear, “let me take you home. It’s a little too crowded here right now. Let’s talk where we ca
n truly be alone.” His mouth grazed her earlobe, sending a trail of shivers over her skin. “I’ll behave.” He laid a trail of warm kisses down her neck and murmured against her skin, “Unless you don’t want me to.”
Jacquelyn’s eyelids drooped and a slow sigh escaped from her lips. Suffused with pleasure and contentment, any doubt or anxiety she might have felt melted away like snow under a spring sun. Her focus zeroed in on the way Finn’s mouth felt against her skin, so good. But a niggling thought scratched at the back of her mind. The notion that he’d diverted her true emotions and she snapped back into herself with the realization. It was too easy to let him make her feel good, and he knew it. He used his Bearer’s magic against her again and again. His manipulation—whether intentional or not—crossed the line one too many times. And tonight she was going to make him toe that line. “Finn, stop.” She tried to unwind her arms from around him, but he held her tight. “How can I get closure when you won’t give me a little space?”
Finn took a deep breath of her skin and straightened, but he didn’t let her go. “Quit pushing me away. I love you.”
“Finn.” She sighed. “You don’t love me. How can you ever know what you feel for me when you won’t let go of my emotions long enough to finally feel something real for yourself?”
His lips met her forehead, a light whisper of touch. “Emotions are my business, not yours. Don’t tell me what I do or don’t feel. I didn’t end this, you did. And I’m not going to let you run away.”
For shit’s sake, did he have to press the issue? How could she work with him while things were so rocky between them? Furies didn’t fuck around. They killed and sucked their host dry, leaving town with death and pain in their wake. “Finn, we have a serious problem. Furies. And that’s bigger than what’s going on between you and me right now.”
Finn’s hands moved down her back, beneath the waistband of her jeans. “I’m still not convinced there’s anything to worry about. Furies?” He wriggled his palms a little lower, kneading her bare skin. “There haven’t been any issues with Furies in anyone’s territory for years. Micah is full of shit. He’s out of his depth and making guesses to impress you. You’re worked up for no reason.”
Jacquelyn tried to inch away from his touch. “Trish doesn’t think so.”
He pulled her back. “Trish is a bleeding heart. She’ll take in any stray that crosses her door.”
“You’re forgetting who you’re talking to,” her voice hardened, stung by his words. “Aren’t I just another stray?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it. C’mon, Jax. You’re special. The Sentry put you here for a reason. You didn’t just bumble your way through town and wind up here.”
Aaaand here they were, back to Finn’s awestruck proclamation that her status as Waerd made her the eighth wonder of the world. For crying out loud, she wasn’t even unique in her Waerdness. The world was full of hunters, watching over territories just like she did. Of course, Finn had always been easily impressed. The perfect roast beef sandwich had been known to spur him to tears. Okay, maybe not quite to tears. But once, Jacquelyn swore she heard a sniffle. Now he was quickly back pedaling, trying to downplay his “stray” comment. She’d given him just enough rope to hang himself with and he knew it.
“I think it’s time you quit worrying about what I think or feel and do your job, Bearer. We’ve got Furies, and they’re controlling some dumb son-of-a-bitch who’s going to do a lot of damage before they’re done. Get your head together and get to work.” Jacquelyn sighed, instantly sorry she’d let her temper get the best of her. It made her no better than him. “Finn, I need a partner. I need you. Please, put us on the backburner for a while. Okay?”
“Everything on your terms, right, Jax?” He pulled away, crossing through the living room. He jerked open the front door and Jacquelyn followed after him across the porch and down the stairs as Finn stalked toward his truck. “This isn’t over. We’re not over. You’re falling for Micah, just like Trish, and I’m not going to let him get away with it. Tell your oh-so-powerful Bearer that. Tell him to watch his fucking back!”
Finn jumped into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. The truck roared to life and gravel sprayed out from behind the tires as he sped off into the darkening night. Jacquelyn sucked in a deep breath and turned toward the house just as Micah stepped out on to the porch.
“You look like you could use a drink,” he said.
Jacquelyn made her way back to the porch and took the steps slowly, one at a time. “Come on, Micah. I know where Trish keeps the good stuff.”
Chapter 12
HE FELL BACK on the bed, his head clutched between his hands. There was no escape from the jealousy that ignited his blood until it burned in his veins. Life was supposed to be getting better, not worse. His heart’s desire was still just beyond his reach, and so far, all his efforts had reaped were mind-splitting headaches and one nasty old bastard, dead. The power he wielded was heady, yes, but he wanted so much more. What he’d once known as evil, unnatural, was something to be cherished. A gift, and yet they played with him. Taunted him. Dangling what he truly wanted like a treat he was forced to beg for. A below of sheer rage tore from his throat, scalding as it echoed in his own ears. He propelled himself from the bed, swiping his arm in an arc over the surface of his dresser, and the room went dark as a lamp crashed to the floor, the bulb popping like a firecracker as it burst.
“You promised!” he bellowed into the darkness, knowing they hovered somewhere near. “You told me if I unleashed you that I’d get revenge and my heart’s desire. I don’t have any of that yet.”
Their gentle caresses soothed him, stilled the rage that boiled inside of him. He couldn’t believe that at one time he’d found their now melodious voices harsh and ugly as they whispered promises near his ear. “You’ll have all you want and more. Name another, give us purpose and feel our strength course through your veins.”
He thought of the strength, the power just one life had given him. And a worthless life at that. Willie Carmichael had been a waste of skin, cruel and heartless. He deserved his punishment a thousand times over. A justifiable murder. What was one more? The world wouldn’t miss another ruthless soul. At least, he wouldn’t.
“Don’t play games with me. I’m not some toy to be maneuvered and posed for your benefit.”
“Of course not,” they purred. “How could we possibly manipulate you? You are the master and we are your humble servants. Command us as you will.”
Fingers stroked his cheek, down his arms, and up his spine. A low moan escaped his lips as they guided him through the darkness, back to the bed and the old mattress creaked under his weight. Warm mouths and soft lips met his flesh again and again and he sighed with contentment. “I know who’s next.”
“Good.” Their sweet voices joined as one. “We are hungry.”
Jacquelyn tipped the shot glass Micah poured for her back in one quick, fluid motion. The whiskey was good, and burned all the way down. She choked before chasing it with a swig of Corona. It was a good thing Trish had limes, because it tasted like shit without it. What did it say about her current state that she needed to get drunk to feel better about her life? And what did it say about Trish that she knew to keep the liquor cabinet stocked even though Jacquelyn had never seen her drink any of it. What she wouldn’t give for a good vodka and soda right about now. And Libby, and the No Business Tavern’s house band in the background. Not that Micah wasn’t good company, but sometimes best friends trump all. Tonight was one of those nights, and as much as she needed Libby’s shoulder to lean on, Jacquelyn knew better than to involve her purely human friend in the Sentry’s esoteric bullshit.
Moonlight streamed through the trees, casting round and angular shadows on Trish’s porch, the shapes conflicted like a Picasso creation. “Told you Trish had some top shelf stuff. Takes the edge off, right?” She gave a little toast with the beer bottle.
“Can I ask you a question?” Micah s
at on the top step, to the left of the swing, staring out toward the driveway and examining the foaming amber brew as he sloshed it around his bottle.
“Sure.” Jacquelyn stretched her legs out in front of her.
“Earlier, you said I was the lucky one. Why? I mean, how exactly did you get drawn into all of this crazy shit?”
She stood from the swing, the chain links that suspended it snapping against one another. Taking up a spot next to him on the stair, she drained the beer in a couple of swallows. She looked up at the sky, bright with stars and moonlight. “Bearers are lucky, you know. You have free will. If you don’t want the job, you don’t have to take it. Besides power, Bearers have purpose. Not just a mission, but an actual reason to the rhyme. I guess that doesn’t make any sense.” She reached across him for the bottle of whiskey at his side and took a quick pull from the bottle, reveling the way it scorched a path down her throat.
“Don’t you have purpose?” Micah asked.
“If you can call being someone’s property purpose. Free will means nothing to a Waerd. We just serve our time and try not to bitch about it.”
Micah’s eyes locked with hers, almost as dark as the night sky. As a rush of energy dove into her chest and crawled along her skin, she knew he was thinking about her. Or at the very least contemplating what she’d said. She never sensed that Finn was thinking about her. At least, she’d never recognized the physical proof of it. “So, here I am, right where the Sentry wants me, living how they tell me to live, killing what no one else can kill, protecting people from things that they’d never believe in unless they’d seen it with their own eyes. No paycheck, no thanks, and no glory. I’m a hunter because that’s what the Sentry told me I was born to do. It’s what they trained me for. And they made sure it’s the only thing I know how to do. Whaddya think, Micah?” She tipped the bottle to her lips. “Do I live a glamorous life or what?”
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