by Rivi Jacks
“Then you need to tell me, even if you don’t understand the connection because I know there is a link, a reason for their pursuit of you. And Ezra’s attention focused on you—is disturbing on so many levels.” His voice is harsh again as he speaks of the Mage. I peek up at him, his silvered gaze gleaming with quiet anger. I swallow hard and then look down.
“The dream you had, of the Kihn amassing for an attack?”
My eyes flash back to his. “What? Did Max find something?”
Lucas’ eyes bore into mine. “No—not Max.” He leans back in his seat. “The Kihn are in Wyoming.”
“In the Jackson Hole area?” I whisper. He nods slowly, his all too knowing gaze sharp as it holds mine. “Was that why the Kihn was at the—” I don’t finish as the implication of why the Kihn was at the same resort I was staying at sinks in.
He was there specifically for me.
I slide off Lucas’ lap and sit back in my chair directly across from him.
That’s how the Kihn knew who I was. It wasn’t an accident that we saw each other in the lobby, he was there for a purpose.
Me.
My mouth is so dry I can’t swallow past the lump of fear in my throat. If Lucas hadn’t gotten me out of there, I’m certain another Kihn would have taken the place of the one he eliminated. And then another, and another—
The large group of Kihn I saw in the dream weren’t preparing for battle—they were amassing in the preparation of—coming for me.
“Lucas—” I gasp. I feel light headed and, I suddenly can’t breathe as my hand goes to my throat while I desperately try to draw a breath.
Lucas leans forward, taking my arms. “Lean over and put your head between your legs.” I do as bid, hearing him ask someone to bring a glass of bourbon and after a couple of minutes, he helps me to sit up. Squatting in front of me he cups my chin with his hand tilting my face as his concerned gaze moves over me. Once he’s assured I’m not going to pass out on him, he places a glass in my hand. “Take a sip.”
I nod, raising the glass to my lips. I take more than a sip, the liquid burning a trail down my throat causing my eyes to tear up. Lucas reaches out to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “I thought you were going to faint,” he murmurs.
I nod again. “Me too.”
His lips quirk at the corners. He looks down, and as I take another sip of the whiskey, he says, “Tell me.”
I nod, I seem to be doing a lot of that. I set down the glass. “This is going to be hard for me,” I whisper.
His head comes up, his eyes meeting mine. “Don’t you understand that I won’t let anyone or anything harm you? I will protect you no matter what.” His voice has turned low and husky.
I raise my hand to his face running my fingertips along his jaw. “Some things you can’t protect me from, Lucas.”
“I can. I can do anything,” he says with arrogance.
I blink away the sudden moisture in my eyes and sit back. Taking a deep breath, I pull my legs up to my chest and stare out the window beside me. Lucas sits back in his chair, and from the corner of my eye, I see him watching me intently as I contemplate how to start. It’s so crazy—will he even believe me?
“Your silence is deafening, Sofie.”
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath letting it out slowly. I open them to look right into Lucas’ silver-green ones.
“Let’s start with what we were talking about when you realized the significance of why the Kihn was at the resort earlier,” he says simply.
I swallow deeply. “I realized he was there—for me. It was no accident, him being there.”
Lucas lifts the glass of bourbon and offers it to me before knocking it back when I decline with a shake of my head. He sets the empty glass down before saying, “When I went down for the car this morning, Jonas Weber met me in the lobby. He’d just received information that routine surveillance of the Jackson Hole area picked up on Kihn movement in the early hours of the morning.” I sit up straighter in the chair. “The—group split, leaving four behind. The rest were trailed back to a cave about an hour away from Jackson.”
I feel light headed again and wish I’d accepted Lucas offer of the bourbon.
“It didn’t take me long to decide that the only reason they were there—was you.” He frowns slightly as his gaze scans my face. “As worrisome as that is, what concerns me more, is that Ezra is behind it all.”
“I think I’d like a little more whiskey, please.” My voice sounds shaky.
Lucas holds my gaze for a moment before he stands, stepping across the cabin to retrieve the bottle of bourbon. As he pours us both a glass, he continues. “We—You were followed here from Sweetwater.” He looks up as he hands me the glass. “Now, I know for a fact the Kihn would need help to pull something like that off.”
“Ezra,” I whisper.
Lucas sits, watching me thoughtfully as he drinks from his glass.
A chill moves over me as I realize that I’m being watched and probably followed in a more intense capacity than first believed. The Kihn are just waiting for the chance to nab me. The big question is, why?
I drink down the bourbon for fortification, gasping as it takes my breath. There’s a slow burn steadily building in me. I’m angry that the Kihn can insinuate themselves like this into my life after years of keeping them out. And I’ve never even seen the mage, Ezra, but knowing he has the ability to wreak havoc in my life is seriously starting to piss me off.
“When I was six years old… I started having nightmares,” I state bluntly. “I was living in Sweetwater with my grandparents. I’d been there a few months and,” —I clasp my hands, interweaving my fingers— “it was getting easier… I mean…” I clear my throat and shake my head, deciding I don’t want to talk about my parents. “The monsters in those nightmares—they were the Kihn.” I see Lucas frown as he leans forward.
“Of course, I didn’t know they were the Kihn. They were just big and scary.” I laugh a little brokenly at the memory of my fear. “The dreams usually began with me watching the Kihn as if from a distance, but eventually they were able to see me and—” I frown, recalling a time in my life that I’ve spent years doing my best to forget. “It was always so real,” I whisper. “They’d chase me through what appeared to be tunnels or maybe caves, sometimes through the woods.” I look up into his face, meeting his steely-eyed gaze. “In time, the dreams became even more intense.”
“What do you mean?” Lucas asks.
I swallow convulsively. “Sometimes they did—catch me. They’d demand that I tell them where it was.” Lucas tilts his head, his frown deepening. “They insisted I knew—even though I told them I didn’t know what they were talking about.” My throat tightens painfully remembering how I cried for my mother. “They would keep me in a room where the walls seemed to be solid rock or—a hole in the ground.” I drop my head, afraid of what Lucas might see in my eyes. I quickly decide I won’t tell him of the iron bars and chains, or the prevalent evil lurking in the shadows, or about the torture of a small girl. “They were mean,” I whisper, rubbing my hand up and down the inside of my left arm.
“Here.” Lucas presses a glass into my hand. “Drink.” The anger in his voice confuses me, and I pause before taking the glass of water. He reaches over when I finish, taking the glass back, his features hard and angry. “Go on,” he commands softly.
I don’t want to, but I know I need to finish. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Everything changed—when a presence joined me in my dreams.” Lucas hesitates in the process of setting the glass on a side table. “At first, he would just talk to me, comfort me. But it wasn’t long before I could feel his presence as if he stood right beside me.” I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear as I look down and then back up to meet Lucas’ cold, silvered gaze. “You can’t imagine what a blessing tha
t was,” I say earnestly, swallowing against the lump in my throat. Get a grip Reece, you are not going to cry. I mentally shake myself.
“Sometimes he would wake me from my dream before the Kihn could catch me or before anything bad—” I hesitate not wanting to recall any of those bad things. “Other times he would help me hide or escape. The dreams were always the same; just the locations would change. And their demands were always consistent—to tell them where it was.”
Lucas continues to watch me his features unreadable. “They never said more than that?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No. But with the presence, I didn’t seem to have as many nightmares, and as time went by they became… less frequent, maybe four times a year. And then, when I was in California with my mom—”
“After your dad died?” Lucas asks, coolly.
“Yes.” Why does he seem so—indifferent? “I discovered something. I think… they can’t get into my dreams if I don’t sleep above ground level.”
Lucas gives me a long blink, his brow lifting slightly.
I blush, feeling utterly ridiculous. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but at my mom’s it was the first place ever that I didn’t sleep on an upper level… and I had no nightmares. None, and the presence… he left too. Not like he was affected by where I slept but like he knew, I no longer needed him.” I lick my dry lips. “But then when I returned home, after my mom’s passing—he came back.” I finish softly.
Lucas’ eyes flare slightly, and under his intense perusal, I nervously tuck my hair behind my ears again.
“You said the presence in your dreams was a man?”
“Yes.”
“But you can’t see him?”
“No.” I shake my head as he holds my gaze. Geez, this sounds—beyond belief even to me.
Lucas continues to look at me, and then he turns to look out the window.
“You don’t believe me,” I say softly.
His head whips around. “What?” His brow furrows in puzzlement.
My anger suddenly prevails and pushing down my hurt and humiliation I announce, “I’ve never told another living soul about this. I’ve always been afraid to speak of the Kihn, fearful of conjuring them up.” My voice begins to shake. “But I was more terrified if I told anyone, they would think I was lying or crazy or—a monster myself.” I glare at him. “I’m so happy I finally shared this with you.” I grit my teeth as I fight to control my anger.
Lucas surges to his feet, and the blazing fury in his eyes surprises me. I’ve never seen him so mad, and I shrink back into my seat, clearly intimidated by that anger. He continues to scowl down at me for a long moment before turning, and with angry strides, he heads toward the front of the plane to disappear through the door that leads to the small galley kitchen.
I pull my knees up to my chest, glancing at the other men in the cabin. They sit stoically, still facing the front, and I wonder how much they’ve heard.
I suddenly feel overwhelmed, knowing there’s a good chance I’m going to cry from the stress of it all if I don’t do something. Jumping up, I hurry to the bathroom where I splash cold water on my face at the black marble sink. After drying with a plush, soft towel, I stare into the mirror at my pale, tense features. Sitting on the closed toilet lid, I think about Lucas’ anger.
And mine.
Did I misread his? His attitude seemed a little detached, but that didn’t necessarily mean he didn’t believe me.
It was so painful for me to open up, revealing my secret, that maybe I was unfair in what I expected of him. I’m not quite sure that I had any preconceived expectations but clearly, our conversation went wrong somewhere.
I wish I hadn’t told him. It was the wrong thing to do. I feel my eyes sting recalling his words when he promised to help me. Maybe now his idea of helping me is to drive me to the first mental health facility he can find.
There’s a knock on the bathroom door. “Miss Reece, we’ll be landing in Springfield in a few minutes.”
It’s Mateo at the door, and I wonder why it’s not Lucas. “I’ll be right out.”
I head back to the cabin and sit in my chair. I don’t see Lucas, and I’m tempted to look for him. How many places could there be to hide on an airplane? I snort softly at the thought of Lucas Santiago hiding from anyone.
Chapter Eleven
After landing, I stay seated, not sure what I’m supposed to do. Mateo, Ryan, and the extra guy disembark without a backward glance. I watch them out my window as they stand on the tarmac talking. I suddenly lean forward, surprised when the Hummer pulls up and out steps Taylor and Christian.
The cell Lucas loaned me rings. “Hey, Sawyer.”
“You back yet?”
“I am. How did you know I was back?”
“Taylor.”
Of course. Movement from the front of the plane catches my eye, and I see Lucas at the entrance to the galley, talking to the pilot.
“Well, I hope you had a good time on your little excursion.”
I laugh sharply, and Lucas glances my way.
“What?” Sawyer asks.
“I’ll tell you later,” I assure him as I watch Lucas walk toward me with panther-like grace. “I need to go. We should be home before long. Come over, okay?” My voice trails off as Lucas’ gaze holds mine and I don’t hear Sawyer’s answer as I end the call.
“Ready, my sweet?”
I’ve made a decision while I’ve sat here waiting. “Yes,” I answer as I stand. “But it remains to be seen if I’m leaving here with you.” His eyebrow lifts in surprise. “It all depends on if you’re still mad at me or not.” I don’t wait for his reply as I brush past him on my way toward the planes open door.
“Hey!” He catches up and takes hold of my upper arm, delaying my exit. “Why are you upset?”
I look up at him. His brow is creased in a puzzled expression. “Why am I upset?” The crease in his brow deepens. “Well maybe it’s because I just spilled my guts to you about a secret I’ve guarded for most of my life.”
His expression changes to one of surprise and I turn, taking two steps closer to the exit before he whirls me back around and has my back pushed up against the wall of the plane. He looms over me, and I’m right proud that I don’t so much as blink.
“You think I’m mad at you?”
“You’re going to deny that you’re mad,” I state. I see his jaw clench as his silvered gaze glares down into mine. When he brings his face close, I swallow convulsively.
“I never deny the truth, Sofie,” he bites out from between clenched teeth. “And right now, I’m angrier than I think I’ve ever been in my long, questionable life.”
Oh, shit.
“I want to extinguish the life force of every Kihn walking this planet. I want to make them suffer for what they put you through.” The anger in his voice is palpable.
“Lucas,” I manage to choke his name out as I reach up, my fingertips touching his taut jawline.
“When I think of you as a little girl, the hurt and fear they inflicted on you— I’m almost insane with my anger.” He takes hold of my wrists and pulls me close. “But mad at you” —He takes a deep breath, and his voice is somewhat calmer when he says, “I am not.”
His eyes are intense as I search them. “Thank you,” I whisper. He pulls me tightly against his chest, his hand cradling the back of my head as he buries his face in my hair. My arms wrap around his back as I cling to him. We stand like this for several moments, each taking comfort in the other. My relief is almost euphoric, and the gratitude I feel at his belief in me is indescribable. “I didn’t think you believed me.”
He leans back, and I look up, my breath catching at the emotion I see in his eyes. “Sofie, I’ll always believe you, and you can trust that I’ll always be here for you.”
“I’ve known since I first met you that you had a connection to the Kihn and that it terrified you.” He tips my chin up. “I hope now you’ll let me deal with all that frightens you.”
I sniff. “I’ll—try.”
The corner of his mouth lifts as he reaches to smooth the hair back off my forehead. “Let’s go home, baby.”
We cross the tarmac to the Hummer, with my hand held firmly in his. There’s a light breeze, and the air has a hint of spring to it. I take a deep breath, suddenly immensely happy. As we near the Hummer, I notice the two SUVs sitting near it.
As Lucas holds the passenger side door open for me, I glance around before sliding in, wondering where Taylor and Christian are. Lucas leans down, and his gaze locks with mine before leaning in to take my mouth in a quick, warm kiss. “Wait here.” His mouth lifts in a cocky grin, and he’s shutting me in before I have a chance to respond.
My eyes follow him as he heads to the SUV behind us. The door opens, and Taylor steps out. They converse shortly and just before both men walk from my view, around the far side of the plane, Taylor turns his head, directing one of his amazing smiles toward me.
My eyes narrow. What was that for?
I don’t wonder what Taylor’s up to for too long as I lean back in the seat, closing my eyes. A small smile crosses my lips. It’s empowering to know Lucas believes me, and I no longer have to keep this inconceivable connection I have with the Kihn secret from him. It’s as if the dark power the nightmares always seemed to hold over me is now diminished.
I open my eyes and sit up. What are we waiting for? There are a couple of men I don’t recognize standing by the SUV in front of the Hummer, and I wonder if they’re part of Lucas’ Guard. Sawyer said additional men were arriving in Sweetwater. I turn to search the area for Lucas.
We’re located a good distance from the airport terminal near a group of smaller buildings, and as I scan the area a small, sleek jet taxis toward the area our group occupies. I watch as it comes to a stop and when I see Lucas and Taylor approach the jet, I lean forward.