A Step Away (The Wanderer Book 2)

by Jocelyn Stover

  Today is one of those rare occasions when I get to see the true splendor of the Wanderers’ power as they right the destruction caused during the battle. They make short order out of putting the place back in working condition, which makes me laugh. I seriously doubt anyone has been in here in years given the thick layer of dust coating the surfaces.

  “Stop, I hear something,” Z barks, causing his brothers to suspend what they are doing. He points to a door near the front of the building and he sprints towards it. Rashid teleports over and beats Z by a narrow margin. I lean around Kade, who has assumed a defensive stance in front of me, so I can see. I hold my breath while they muscle the door open.

  “Fuck me,” Z swears, pushing a frozen Rashid out of the way. “Gwen!” he exclaims, requesting my immediate presence before ducking inside. By the time I get there Zafir has emerged from the room with a small child clutched to his chest. Mumbling soothing words to the little boy, he sets him down in front of me and steps back, unsure how to proceed. “I’m big, I don’t want to scare him,” he tells me as he takes another giant step back.

  “Hi, my name is Gwen and these are my friends. You’re safe now,” I say, crouching down in front of the little guy who just stands there rocking back and forth.

  “He was curled up against the wall crying, clutching the hand of a dead woman,” Z says, describing the scene with an air of clinical detachment that does not reach his eyes, which paint an entirely different picture. I can sense his raw anguish when he looks at me helplessly.

  “Everything’s going to be okay,” I lie to both Z and the boy. I’m not sure how this story will end. Certainly it won’t be a fairytale, but maybe hope will still find its way into the darkness and rescue us all. I reach out to comfort the child but pull my hand back when he shrieks. With tears streaming down his face, he runs straight for Zafir, wrapping his tiny frame around the Wanderer’s leg. The befuddled look on Z’s face is priceless, and at any other time I’d laugh, but nothing about this situation is funny. Shrugging my shoulders in response to his what-the-fuck do-I-do-now face, I step away to give Kade and Rashid room to respectfully dispose of the woman’s body. They move her outside next to the Yukon until something suitable can be found to wrap her body in. She’s Nephilim, I note unsurprisingly, just one of the many women Himyar had murdered recently. Her striking hair is the same color as the little boy’s so I suspect he will turn out to be her son. What a cruel world, I think, heart sinking.

  “Did you see a purse or wallet?” I ask, hoping they found some identification that will help lead us to the child’s family.

  “No,” Kade shakes his head. “Why don’t you go see if the boy can tell us anything?”

  “He’s pretty traumatized, I’m not sure now is the best time to ask him about the monster who kidnapped him.”

  “I was hoping for a name, Gwen. His or this woman’s. Maybe he knows his address or telephone number. Simple questions, with answers that will go a long way towards helping us get the little guy home.”

  “Oh,” I utter. I had totally misinterpreted his request. “What will you do with the body?” I ask before leaving to find Z.

  “Put her where somebody will find her soon so the family can have some closure.” Closure...I mull over the word while I shuffle through the warehouse. It’s what I need with Ben and what drove Zafir to distraction searching for Himyar. For Z this mission went beyond duty; it was personal, and I only hope he found the forgiveness he was looking for in Himyar’s death.

  “Has he said anything yet?” I ask Zafir.

  “No,” Zafir answers, speaking softly, with his tone deep and soothing. Z holds the boy against his shoulder and tiny arms struggle to wrap completely around Z’s massive neck.

  Resting a hand on his back, I too speak softly. “Hi big guy, what’s your name? Can you tell me?” Vacant eyes stare at me a second before he turns his head and hides his face in Zafir’s shirt.

  “You’re doing great,” I say and shoot Z a thumbs up. Children are such a foreign concept to me. I think they’re cute but as a whole they make me incredibly nervous; I don’t understand them at all. Backing away, I turn to head in the direction of the activity by the Yukon when a low, melodious sound stops me mid-stride. Another small piece of my already fragile heart unravels: Zafir is singing to the little boy.

  “He’s still in shock,” I inform the guys when I return to the SUV.

  “Alright then, he’s our responsibility for now,” Bass answers.

  “Is that such a good idea?” I interject, playing devil’s advocate. “Is it really safe for him to know about you guys?”

  “We’re not leaving him to fend for himself, regardless of what he sees,” Bass answers and crosses his arms over his chest.

  “Hey, don’t make me out to be the bad guy, that’s not what I meant,” I trip over my words. “I’m just trying to keep everyone safe, the boy included. Gabir’s still out there.” Stepping forward, Kade secures me in a loose embrace.

  “I understand you don’t want what happened to Ben to happen to anyone else, but until we can find this kid’s family he’s safest with us.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it, it’s been a long day,” Bass replies. “We should move out. I’d like to get Hal home as quickly as possible.”

  “Z time to go,” Kade’s rich voice summons his partner. Careful not to jostle his precious cargo, Zafir manages to slide onto the SUV’s bench seat without waking the little sleeper.

  “Dozed off a few minutes ago,” he whispers when the sound of light snoring draws my attention. Smiling I climb in beside him and leave the front seat open for Rashid. Bass will drive home Hal’s truck, making a brief stop to strategically relocate the body of the dead woman. Beyond exhausted, I close the car door and buckle my seat belt, running on autopilot.

  “We should pick up some food on the way home,” I announce and break the barrier of silence that had descended over us. It seems completely crazy to be thinking about something as mundane as eating at a time like this, but I can’t help my growling stomach. “Who knows when the kid ate last,” I tack on as the random thought pops into my head. Who knows what kind of care he received during his captivity, I think as I turn to gaze at his peaceful face and matted, copper curls.

  Chapter 27

  “I missed the funeral!” I blurt out as I follow Kade into his apartment. Once the adrenaline my body had been cranking out all afternoon was spent, the commitments of my alternate reality came crashing down on me, but this is the first opportunity I’ve had to bring it up. The evening had been a whirlwind between getting Hal situated and trying unsuccessfully to coax some pizza into the Nephilim child we’d inherited. Finally giving up on feeding the little guy, I’d filled my own belly and helped tuck him into bed. At that point I’d have been happy to curl up on the couch and pass out, since I relinquished my room to the boy. Kade, however, insisted we travel to his home so I could sleep in a real bed and he could obtain a change of clothes.

  “Yes,” Kade replies, locking the door behind us. “But I took care of it.”

  “Wait, how?” I question, knowing he’d had his hands full today as well.

  “I made a call to Barbara. I told her I’d gone to your house to pick you up for the funeral and found a note detailing how the whole thing was too much for you and you weren’t going to make it.”

  “You told her I ran away?” I say incredulously.

  “What was I supposed to do?” he fires back, frustrated. “She bought it, promised to make excuses for you and prayed that I find you quickly. She was nothing but concerned for your well being.”

  “Kade, it’s all right, I get it,” I soothe, picking up on his sour tone.

  “Do you?” he asks, stepping forward and caging me against the wall with his arms. “That was the hardest call I’ve ever had to make. I had to invent something to tell her while trying to find you, and just hoping I wasn’t too late.” Looking at the ceiling for a second he clos
es his eyes. “This week was like losing you all over again, and when Z called... I just knew the dream was over.”

  “Watching you die right in front of me wasn’t exactly a picnic,” I whisper. The heat of his breath on my neck coupled with our close proximity was doing crazy things to me. Smoldering eyes appraise me and stoke the fire between us. "I went mad from guilt when Ben died, and it's a feeling that's been hard to shake. But you are my air, and when I thought that I’d lost you," I stumble over the words. "Nothing else mattered," I finish, unable to fully articulate the depth of what Kade means to me. Leaning down closer he rubs his cheek against mine and the rough stubble along his jaw creates a sensuous friction against my delicate skin. Tilting his head, he captures my mouth in a fierce, consuming kiss that leaves me breathless. If he is my air then I can't get enough, and hungrily I seek his lips again, pulling him closer with my arms.

  "I'll always come back to you, but next time maybe fight a little harder," I tease while his lips roam down my neck.

  Pulling back suddenly, his eyes flash. "My naive woman," he chastises, but his husky voice lacks the conviction necessary for me to take his scolding seriously. "I would fight man, demon, or Sylph for you. But when you are the one pushing me away, there's absolutely nothing I can do. Against you I am powerless."

  "I'll never build walls between us again," I promise, taking responsibility for my own foolishness that’s been a perpetual stumbling block for us. Snatching me off the floor, Kade moves with purpose through the living room and I know returning here tonight was about more than just a change of clothes. If the prospect of losing me crushed him the way the sight of him being cut down destroyed me, then we both received the wakeup we needed. Our relationship, which he’s always allowed to be on my terms, is shifting. I can feel it in his touch, in the raw possessive energy that calls to me. I give in to a desperate craving to hold him, to feel his powerfully strong body moving inside me, and to be reminded of his indestructible vitality. In the bedroom we both struggle to remove every stitch of clothing, buttons and zippers becoming ridiculous adversaries in our haste. The yearning to be pressed against his flesh is so great I almost tear my bra trying to break free. I praise the strong hands that grab hold of my waist, pull me onto the bed, and tuck me underneath his body. Grinning, I take possession of his mouth with single-minded ferocity, savoring his full lips. Caged once more under his exquisite physique, I press my hips in closer, gasping deliriously from the thrill of our powerful connection.

  “Kade!” I sing, surrendering all and losing myself in the moment as we zealously reclaim one another.

  * * *

  I wake in the morning with the heat of Kade's body radiating next to me and keeping me warm. I smile, content that from now on everything will be okay. Rolling over to wrap an arm around me, Kade whispers, "Awake?"

  "No," I lie, not ready to get up. Kissing the top of my head he pulls the covers back.

  "Come on, we've still plenty to do, we’ll grab breakfast on the way." I linger when he heads for the shower; there’s something on my mind. Sitting up, I reach for my phone and scroll through the contact list, pausing when I find the number I'm looking for. With a heavy sigh, I punch the call button before I over think things and lose my nerve.

  "Barbara," I say when the familiar voice of Ben's mother greets me. "I'm so sorry, I didn't plan to miss the funeral," I tell her truthfully. "I lost my mind and just couldn't manage it."

  "I understand dearie, you don't need to seek forgiveness from me but..." she says, and I cringe. There's always a “but”. "You owe yourself some closure and if you continue to run away from your pain you won't ever find that." The loving words are a low blow after everything I've been through the last 24 hours, but of course Barbara doesn't know about any of that or the truth behind her son’s death. She does, however, have a point. As traumatizing as Ben's death was, it happened so fast and the last week has been such a whirlwind that I haven’t had time for closure. Hell, I’ve barely had time to grieve.

  "Thanks Barbara, I’ll keep that in mind.” Then I say something that totally surprises me. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, Gwen. I don’t mean to stir anything up but have you given much thought about Ben’s things or the house? Of course, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like, you’re family...” She says and trails off.

  “No, I don’t think it’d be a good idea for me to stay in the house,” I say. “And you are, of course, welcome to anything of Ben’s that you want, just let me know. I should be out by the end of the month.”

  “Alright dear,” she stammers, leading me to believe she’s concerned or flustered with my decision.

  “I need to start over and I just don’t think I can do it in that place,” I explain while hoping she isn’t mad.

  “Don’t alienate yourself. Keep in touch, we’re still family,” she reiterates. Looking up, I smile as I see my freshly showered future standing in the door frame watching me. “I’m going to be just fine,” I promise before politely ending the call.

  “Welcome home,” Kade tells me and returns my grin.

  Glancing back and forth pretending to critique the place, I announce, “Let’s sell it.” That statement earns me a temporarily shocked expression from Kade.

  “And where would we go?” he asks, coming to sit beside me on the bed.

  “Anywhere we want,” I answer wistfully.

  “Okay, but it’s nice having a place here, and who knows, we may need to return.”

  “Agreed. But not this place. I’d prefer somewhere with less haunting memories in its walls.”

  Running a hand through my hair, he agrees. “If that’s what you want.” He rises and pulls me in the direction of the shower, pausing to touch a wall. He smirks, “They weren’t all bad memories.”

  “No, they weren’t.”

  “What do you say we make one more?” he suggests, dropping his towel.

  * * *

  Arms filled with donuts and coffee, and drunk on new memories, we arrive at Hal’s. I steal away for a few minutes to call my mother and Melanie, needing to smooth over my absence from the funeral. My folks are glad I’m okay but worried about me, which explains why my mom tries to insist on staying in San Diego to help me clear out the house. I have to strategically lie, assuring her Melanie already promised to help me, in order to convince her to go home. Melanie is pissed but surprisingly not worried at all when she finds out Kade has agreed to let me stay at his place for awhile, which only reinforces my suspicion that she already imagines a future for us. Tying up the last loose ends from the week is a huge weight off my shoulders.

  “Save some for the rest of us,” I tease Rashid, who is busy shoving a maple bar down his throat. Shrugging his shoulders, he licks his fingers and smiles.

  “How is the boy?” I ask Bass outright, not knowing how to broach the subject delicately.

  “No better and no worse this morning.”

  “Still not talking,” Rashid mumbles around another donut.

  “Seriously, stop eating everything in sight; shouldn’t you be helping Hal or something?” I glare at Rashid who pretends to cower before grabbing his coffee and moseying out of sight.

  “Any luck figuring out who he is or where he came from?” I inquire hopefully.

  “Yes and no,” Bass answers rubbing his neck and taking a large gulp of coffee.

  “Did you sleep at all?”

  “Very little. Here check this out,” he answers and calls me over to look at his computer screen. “The dead woman we found was discovered last night and her name is Laura Andrews. She was reported missing a week ago by a co-worker when she failed to show up to work for the second day in a row. Twenty-four, single mom, she has no family to speak of and grew up in the foster care system. From what I’ve uncovered she does have a son named David. There were quite a few calls made to a local preschool when I screened her phone records. I’m looking for a birth certificate now.”

  “Why? You already figure
d out who he is.”

  “I’m looking for his father. There’s no family information or emergency contacts listed on his preschool records. I know, I called.”

  “So if we don’t find his dad, what then?” I can’t imagine the kid having nobody.

  “I’ll keep looking,” Bass says and dodges my question.

  “I’ll go check on David,” I say, grabbing the last sprinkled donut. Knocking softly on the bedroom door, I poke my head through and find David sitting on the bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. He’s just watching Z, who is dozing in a chair situated at the end of the bed. Restraining a chuckle I slip inside.

  “David,” I whisper, holding the donut up for him to see. “Are you hungry?” He turns at the sound of my voice but remains silent while his bright blue eyes analyze me. “David, that’s your name right?” Shrinking a little smaller on the bed, he nods once. “Alright David,” I smile, sitting down next to him. “I’m Gwen and this is for you, would you like to eat it?” Staring at the frosted treat in my hands, he nods again. “It’s all yours.” I set the donut down in front of him and sit back. Hesitantly, he reaches out and picks up the pastry, and within a minute he’s munching away happily. “Would you like some milk?” Cheeks sticky with pink frosting, he nods again. I stand to leave and get some milk, but pause in the doorway. I turn around and ask, “David, what’s your dad’s name?” He stares at me blankly and just shrugs his shoulders. “Okay, sweetie I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ve got it!” Bass announces when I waltz past the living room. I get a glass of milk from the kitchen then rejoin him at the computer.

  “And?”

  “David is four years old, and no father is listed on the birth certificate.”

  “I figured as much.” Raising an eyebrow Bass looks to me for enlightenment. “I asked David about his dad and he doesn’t seem to know who he is.”

  “He spoke?” Zafir’s surprised voice inquires as he appears from the hallway, moving at a snail’s pace thanks to the little guy that’s stuck like glue to his leg.