The Keepers: Christmas in Salem: Do You Fear What I Fear?The Fright Before ChristmasUnholy NightStalking in a Winter Wonderland (Harlequin Nocturne)

by Heather Graham

  Suddenly, the tunnel jogged gently to the left, then down, before bringing her to a complete stop and standing her upright. She had no conscious thought of arms or legs. The tunnel did all the work, acting like a cocoon, moving her in whatever direction or position she needed. Until finally, in the glow of the tiny spotlights, Rebekah saw him.

  Tee-zee sat naked on a ledge a mere ten feet away. He had the chubby face of a five-or six-year-old, and his arms were crossed over his chest. The feet dangling off the ledge were a size more fitting to a forty-year-old man. He swung them back and forth as he sang.

  Tee-zee, it’s me. Rebekah. I’m here.

  When Tee-zee heard her, he unfolded his arms and she saw that his fingers were disproportionate to the rest of his body. Long and slender, better suited for a grown woman.

  You found me! And I can see you. You look like light. Tiny dots of silver light danced over Tee-zee’s face and chest, and in that light she noticed that below his large feet was a dark emptiness, indicating a depth she couldn’t measure. And the only opening she saw was much too small for him to fit through, even as small as his chosen body was.

  Tee-zee had been right. In human form, he wouldn’t have been able to get out on his own. One misstep and the pit below him would have swallowed him for sure, and he could never make it through the tunnel in the rock. Without question, he had to be reverted back to his elemental state.

  Which presented yet another problem.

  In order for her to help him regain his elemental form, she would have to transmutate back to human form. She couldn’t assist him in this molecular hodgepodge.

  Without warning, the tunnel suddenly drew her slowly downward about five feet, then stopped.

  Wait! Don’t leave me! Tee-zee cried. Where are you going?

  Rebekah tried to comfort him. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.

  Evidently the silvery tunnel was part of her consciousness because it seemed to understand that she needed a place to put her feet once she transformed back into her human body.

  To transmutate this time, Rebekah focused on each part of her body in order to establish the proper order for the molecular restructuring. She thought about how it felt when she brushed her hair, the tug of the brush on her scalp, the feel of tissue on her nose when she blew it, the feel of water on her face, breasts, stomach and legs when she showered. The feel of her feet in sneakers when she went for her morning jogs in Malta.

  As she concentrated on each part of her body, the tunnel and all its tiny spotlights began to diminish. When she finally felt the ground beneath her feet—her human feet—she took a moment to steady herself. Without the specks of light from the tunnel, the darkness in the cave was absolute. She brought her hand up to her face, close to her nose—which she touched to make sure it had landed in the right place—and still couldn’t see her fingers.

  Fairly confident that all her physical parts had been put back together in the right order, she sighed with relief. Tee-zee, can you see me?

  Uh-uh. It’s too dark.

  She couldn’t see him, of course, but she’d hoped that as an elemental he would have an acuity of vision she lacked. No matter. She remembered that the tunnel had placed her just below and about five feet away from the ledge he sat upon.

  Tee-zee, I’m going to stretch out my arms and reach for you. I want you to do the same. Don’t lean forward, though, understand?

  Uh-huh.

  In order for me to help you switch back to your elemental form, I’ve got to touch you. So when you feel my fingers, grab hold to them, okay? And the minute you feel yourself back in your elemental form, I want you to go straight back to your position. Everything in the universe is waiting for you. High tide needs to happen, so you have to get there as quickly as possible. Do you understand?

  I understand, and I will. I promise. And I’ll never do this again. I’ll never try this again. I’m so sorry, and—

  Just get back into place as quickly as you can. We don’t have much time.

  Okay. Stretch my arms, then the fingers...

  Rebekah held out her arms. Talk to me, Tee-zee, so I’ll know what direction to reach.

  What do you want me to say?

  Anything. Say, ‘Here, here.’

  Tee-zee did as he was told, and in a matter of seconds Rebekah’s fingers connected with his. She grabbed hold of them and held tight.

  Okay. Now, I know it’s dark in here, but I need you to close your eyes and think about Quentin. Think about what you do for him every day. What it feels like to be a black hole.

  That’s easy because it feels really great. I feel wide open and free. I can breathe easily, not like in this human body. It’s all stuffy in here, and I can’t move around the way I want. The other way I can go anywhere and do anything, and I can see all the stars and the planets....

  As he spoke, Rebekah sent a flood of energy from her body to his. It vibrated from her core all the way up to her arms and through her fingers. She saw what Tee-zee described, him in his natural form—a black hole. A vital part of the universal structure. She felt the freedom he talked about. To keep herself from being pulled into the conversion, she quickly closed a mental gate that kept her within her earthly realm and Tee-zee within his own, grateful for the gates given to a KOFE that allowed her to do whatever was necessary to help the elemental while protecting herself.

  It’s happening! It’s working!

  Hearing his excitement, Rebekah thrust every ounce of energy she had left through the gate and into Tee-zee.

  Before she knew it, and without warning, she felt a heavy gust of wind hit her full in the face, startling her. It was then she realized she was no longer holding Tee-zee’s hand.

  Her eyes flew open. Tee-zee? No matter the direction she looked in, all she saw was total darkness. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. Tee-zee, are you still here?

  From what sounded like a great distance, she heard the echo of Vaughn’s voice. “Roe, are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she called back as loudly as she could—which, to her ear, sounded barely above a whisper.

  “You did it, Roe. You got Tee-zee out. I saw him—a stream of black smoke came right out of the cave and headed skyward.”

  She let out a sigh of relief. “Good,” she said softly.

  “Roe, can you get out? Can you climb out?”

  She shook her head in the darkness. She barely had the energy to lift her voice loud enough for Vaughn to hear her. She had no idea where she was. What she did know, though, was that she would have to transmutate again to get out of this dank dungeon. She hated to even think about it. The two transmutations she’d already managed had pounded her down to a point of exhaustion she’d never known before. But she had no choice. There was no other way for her to get out.

  “Can you?” Vaughn called out again.

  “No. No climbing out.”

  “What? I can’t make out what you’re saying.”

  “I can’t,” she said more loudly. They should have been using telepathy, less of a drain. Then again, if Vaughn felt anything like she did at the moment, it was simply wonderful to hear, in every sense of the word, the sound of his voice.

  Maybe if she lay down for a little while and rested she might be able to muster the strength to get out.

  “Roe, please answer me.”

  Drawing on what little strength she had left, she shouted, “I can’t climb out. Going to have to transmutate again.”

  “No! Don’t take that chance again. I’ll come and get you. We don’t have to worry about time now. Tee-zee is out. I can dig you out if I have to.”

  “But I don’t know where out is,” Rebekah said. “It could take you a week to reach me.”

  Too exhausted to explain any further, she squatted in place. She had no clue as to how far down in the cave she was or how far from the opening. She wouldn’t even be able to tell Vaughn what direction to start digging in. The only reliable way was for her to transmutate, let the tunnel guide
her out.

  She lifted her head and spoke as loudly as she could. “Digging won’t work. Going to transmutate. Need you to talk to me. Need your voice for direction.”

  She heard her voice weakening and doubted Vaughn had heard much of what she’d said.

  So tired...

  She felt around, trying to find a place wide enough for her to lie down. She needed to rest. Needed to close her eyes...just for a moment.

  “Then you listen to my voice!” Vaughn shouted. “I won’t stop talking till you’re safe.” Evidently he had heard her.

  Rebekah just wanted to sleep. Close her eyes and take a short nap. The only thing that kept her from doing it was the fear that if she did fall asleep she might roll off a precipice and into oblivion.

  “Listen to my voice and come back to me,” Vaughn said. “Follow my voice, Roe.”

  She closed her eyes and listened. She focused on his voice, his face....

  “Hear me, Rebekah Savay. I love you. I always have. I never left you back in Malta, do you hear? I didn’t leave you.”

  Her eyes sprang open.

  “I only let you think I did because I didn’t want to get in your way. I knew you needed to concentrate on your responsibilities as a Keeper. I didn’t want to be a distraction. But I was always there, always watching out for you, making sure you were safe. I’m so sorry if that hurt you. I can’t be without you again, Rebekah. I can’t. I need you to come back to me.”

  The sound of Vaughn’s voice, his words, moved into the center of Rebekah’s heart and took root there, filling it to capacity. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It consumed her completely.

  “I need you, and I can’t live without you.”

  And with that the silvery tunnel once again became Rebekah’s cocoon. It swept her up gently, then moved her slowly up and forward.

  “I need you in my life. I’ll never let you go again.”

  The tunnel drew her closer to the sound of Vaughn’s voice. She might have been structured differently on a molecular level now, but the heart beating inside her hadn’t changed. It heard him and filled with overwhelming joy.

  The next thing she knew, her forehead was resting against Vaughn’s leather jacket and his arms were wrapped tightly around her.

  She couldn’t move. Her exhaustion was beyond the point of comprehension. It seemed to take too much energy to even think.

  “I’ve got you,” Vaughn whispered. “I’ve got you, Roe.” He cupped the back of her head. “Are you okay? Talk to me, please. I need to hear that you’re okay.”

  Rebekah managed the slightest nod. She really didn’t know if she was okay, though. She’d never felt this tired before.

  “We need to get you back to Samantha’s,” Vaughn said. “She can take a look at you, make sure you’re okay. You can rest there. Teleporting back to Salem is out of the question, though. Not in your state. Can you walk at all?”

  Before Rebekah could even think of forming the words to answer, Vaughn said, “Of course not. Look at you. You can barely lift your head. I wish I could teleport us both.”

  She breathed in deeply, her nostrils filling with the scent of leather and musk from the sweat on his skin. She wanted him to stop talking and hold her tighter. To never let her go. She wanted to take the panic from his voice.

  “I can carry you there if it comes down to it, but thirty-five miles—that would take hours.”

  His words barely had time to settle in her mind when she heard him call for Ariel. She knew he had the ability to communicate with the elementals telepathically. The fact that he didn’t have the right to was moot. She didn’t have the energy to argue.

  Ariel, we need you. Rebekah needs you.

  Rebekah heard Ariel’s reply. Why are you calling me, Vaughn? Is she okay?

  I think so, Vaughn said. She found Tee-zee and sent him back. But she’s exhausted.

  Oh, I think I saw him, Ariel said. He zipped right past me—this giant column of black smoke, right through the stratosphere. It was awesome.

  I need you to take us back to Samantha’s, Vaughn said. Rebekah is too weak to walk, and I can’t teleport both of us. I can carry her, but it would take forever to get there. Make the wind move her, Ariel. Take us to Samantha’s.

  “Is it okay with you, Rebekah?” Ariel asked, and Rebekah realized the elder had joined them. “Is it okay for me to do that? I don’t mean any disrespect, Vaughn, but she’s my Keeper. I can only take orders from Rebekah.” A look of desperation crossed her face. “Is it okay for me to do what he asks, Rebekah? To bring both of you back to Samantha’s?”

  “Yes,” Rebekah whispered. “It’s okay to do what he says.” She felt Vaughn’s arms tighten around her.

  In a matter of seconds Rebekah felt the prickle of air against her cheeks and arms, a rush of wind against her back. She closed her eyes and held on to Vaughn as the wind pushed her harder against him, her cheek against his jacket, his chest. The smell of him was the scent of safety, the feel of his arms around her a lifeline against what felt like gale-force winds.

  A storm?

  Even at that thought, she felt no panic. The safety she felt in his arms was absolute.

  Let the winds blow....

  Let them blow....

  The last thing she remembered was the sensation of flying, her feet lifting from the ground....

  And her mind drifting off into what felt like the most peaceful sleep she had ever known.

  Chapter 5

  Sandwiched between thick, dark, swirling clouds, Vaughn held tightly to Rebekah. Ariel had chosen to move them as he’d asked by way of a cyclone—not the wisest of choices, now that he thought about it. But there hadn’t been many alternatives. Ariel couldn’t exactly transport both of them over thirty miles on a breeze.

  He might not have been a Keeper, but he knew enough to know that having an elemental mess with Mother Nature’s weather cycles was extremely dangerous. It was the main reason elementals answered to only two forces—their Keeper and Mother Nature herself.

  If Mother Nature decided to do a cleansing by sending a hurricane or tsunami, an elemental’s responsibility was not to change it or keep it from happening. Their sole purpose was to make certain it happened properly—no matter the human lives at stake. And for the most part, all the elementals held to that task.

  Of course, that didn’t mean an elemental didn’t pull a mischievous stunt from time to time. A sudden deluge that seemingly came out of nowhere as you walked the streets of town on a cloudless day. A gust of wind sent at the very moment a Boy Scout ignited his first, hard-earned campfire, blowing it out. Little things that kept humans on their toes.

  But the big events like earthquakes and hurricanes were Mother Nature’s call alone, and a Keeper’s job was to make certain that all the elementals performed as needed to fulfill Mother’s wishes. To stop these catastrophic events from happening—or to make them happen—might alter the future of the planet and its inhabitants in ways that were never meant to be.

  All things and all people served a purpose on earth, of that Vaughn was certain. And right now his purpose was to protect the beautiful woman resting in his arms. Ariel understood that when she’d been asked to carry them to Samantha’s, it had been an exception to every rule ever set for an air elemental. He trusted that the elder would take great care and make certain that no damage came to humans or their property in the process.

  As they stood in the heart of the storm, Vaughn lowered his face to the top of Rebekah’s head as she stood snuggled against him and breathed in deeply, inhaling the scent of her. Without a second thought he kissed the top of her head once, twice, a third time.

  There was still so much to do. He knew that the moment Rebekah had rested, and her mental and physical strength returned, she would be back in action, hunting with her cousins to find the culprit responsible for the darkness in Salem. And that was fine by him, because he planned to be right by her side the entire time.

  He couldn’t beli
eve his good fortune. Here she was, the love of his life, safely tucked away in his arms. It might have been utter exhaustion that allowed her defenses to fall away long enough for him to take command and get them back to her cousin’s, much less to allow him to take her into his arms and hold her this way. Once this was all over, he hoped it wouldn’t take another bout of exhaustion to bring her back into his arms. If not, and by some miracle she came willingly, he knew it would take a hell of a man to keep her there.

  Which was exactly what he planned to be and do for the rest of their lives—if she would have him.

  * * *

  As the whirlwind settled into a gentle breeze, Rebekah opened her eyes and saw that they were standing mere feet from her cousin Samantha’s home.

  She blinked against the colored lights that twinkled brightly about the house and lawn, where a plastic Santa was singing “Winter Wonderland.”

  Christmas Eve.

  In all the commotion, she had almost forgotten about the holiday.

  Tomorrow, a day meant to celebrate the birth of hope and love for all mankind, seemed doomed to be shrouded by darkness. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on her. They still had to find and stop whoever was responsible for this perpetual night before the damage that had already been done became irreparable. Or, worse, spread.

  Oddly enough, despite the seriousness of the situation, she felt some hope. She knew the strength and special abilities her cousins possessed would be a powerful weapon against the forces of darkness, and Vaughn’s talents were a given. Collectively, they were powerful enough to drop any enemy to his knees. Then the darkness would finally end, and light, along with all its virtues, would once again fill the sky and the hearts of the good people of Salem.

  Hope reborn.

  She didn’t think any better gift existed.

  Well...maybe one.

  Still resting in Vaughn’s arms, she glanced up and gave him a small, trembling smile.

  “Merry Christmas,” she whispered.