§
Cara took Raven’s hand and let him lead her to the elevator. This floor was very quiet, each window showcasing the beauty of the red desert outside. The sun bounced off every surface, growing brighter and hotter until she had to blink her eyes from the radiance. She could see small green shrubs and cactus intermittently spaced across the pinks and oranges of the rocks and sand. As lovely as the landscape was, she was glad she didn’t have to go outside. The dry heat would feel like a furnace against her skin, and the glare of the light would hurt her eyes. Cara needed to live with green plants and trees. The desert would never feel like home to her.
When the elevator opened, she and Raven stepped inside, and he pushed the button for the clinic, one floor below the lobby.
“I hope Derek is feeling better,” Cara said, a little unsure of herself. What do you say to the man who was shot trying to protect you? “I’m sorry” didn’t seem like enough.
“Dr. Rick said he is doing well but should stay in the clinic another day or so. He lost a lot of blood while tracking the kidnappers.”
It was strange to think of the kidnapping now. She felt removed from it, almost like it had happened to another person. None of the fear and terror she remembered feeling was present. Only sadness and concern over Derek’s injuries.
“Was anyone else hurt when you rescued me?”
“No, tehila. Not one of our people was injured during the extraction.” Extraction, another word that seemed detached from the actual circumstances. Is that how Raven and his men dealt with the situation, by removing themselves from it on a personal level?
They walked out of the elevator and into the clinic. This floor had more people moving around and sounds of machines operating. As they walked toward Derek’s room, Cara noticed a lovely woman with red hair and blue eyes standing next to his bed. While Cara watched, Derek reached for the woman’s hand, and those strings of light, like she had seen when Raven made love to her, streaked from the woman to Derek and from Derek to the woman. Their auras were merging. Did that mean they were together as a couple, or that they should be?
“Is that Derek’s new girlfriend?”
“No, that is Katherine Sloane, my executive assistant. I couldn’t run the company without her. She probably brought down flowers for Derek. She does things like that for the employees.”
Cara continued to watch as Derek said something and the woman laughed. There was something in the way Derek looked at her, possessive and awestruck. Oh yeah, those two definitely needed to get together. Cara would bet her new engagement ring that they were meant to be together.
“Have they ever dated?”
“Katherine and Derek? No way. I think she puts up with him because he is my brother.”
“Really? He’s holding her hand rather tenderly, don’t you think? Look, he just brushed a kiss on her hand. Look at her blush. She’s interested in your brother.”
Raven paused in the hall and watched the pair. Could it be? Derek was always careful around Katherine, flirty and light-hearted, but kind and considerate. Why didn’t he consider before that Derek might be interested in Katherine? It wasn’t like Derek to ignore a possible conquest. Why hadn’t he asked Katherine out before now? She had been with Isanti, Inc., almost five years.
“Well, let’s go see what they’re talking about,” Raven said, opening the door and ushering Cara into the room. Both Derek and Katherine stopped talking. Katherine dropped her eyes, and Derek let go of her hand.
“How are you feeling, little brother?”
“I feel fine, which is what I keep telling Dr. Rick,” Derek complained. “But he won’t release me from the clinic.”
“I believe the doctor is worried about your heart rate. You lost a lot of blood,” Katherine said. “You need to stay in bed a little while longer.”
“Will you come down and have dinner with me?” Derek said playfully. “It gets awfully lonely down here.”
“Office gossip says you had half of the accounting department down here last night keeping you company, and it wasn’t the male half,” Katherine said.
“I would rather spend time with you, Katie,” Derek said, lowering his tone of voice until it slid against the skin like a caress.
“No wonder the girls can’t stay away from you. That voice is downright dangerous,” Cara said laughing. “You could be a voice actor on the side if you wanted. Thanks for putting up such a good fight, Derek. I’m sorry you were hurt trying to protect me.”
“Cara, if the terrorists didn’t hurt me, your enraged fiancé would have,” Derek said. “Raven, you gave her the ring, I see. Too bad you didn’t have it earlier, Cara. One swipe of that diamond could have cut through anything.”
“It’s a beautiful ring, Cara. Don’t let Derek tease you about it. My name is Katherine, but my friends call me Kathy.”
“I’m sorry, where are my manners?” Raven asked. “Cara, this is Katherine Sloane, my administrative assistant. Katherine, my fiancée, Cara Hamilton.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Cara. Everyone in the office wanted to know who the woman was who could melt Raven’s frozen heart.”
“My heart was not frozen. I was just waiting for the right woman,” Raven said, putting his arm around Cara’s waist and pulling her close.
“Every woman at Isanti will be jealous to know you bagged the big guy,” Derek said.
“Not every woman, Derek,” Katherine said. “Well, I better return upstairs. Some of us have work to do. Mr. Darkwood, I cleared your schedule for the rest of the week as requested.”
“Thank you, Katherine. You are as efficient as always,” Raven said.
“That’s why you hired me, Boss.”
“No, he hired you because he was desperate to find someone to help him,” Derek said. “This office runs smoothly because of you, Katie. Anyone who says differently will answer to me.”
“No one is arguing with you, Derek. Hurry up and get better. General Holland wants you to take on another assignment,” Katherine said, walking to the door. “I told him you were injured, but he wants to know when you will get back on the duty roster.”
“Derek, you know I told the general we were no longer accepting contracts for the government,” Raven said.
“I just help him out occasionally.”
“Don’t make it a habit.”
“Don’t lecture him. He’s still wounded. Why don’t you go get him some juice,” Cara said, patting Raven on the arm. She just wanted a couple of minutes alone with Derek.
“All right, tehila. I’ll be only a minute,” Raven said, walking out the door.
“Well played, little sister. Now what do you want?”
“I want to know how long you’ve been in love with Katherine Sloane and when are you going to do something about it?”
“I fell head over heels the first moment I saw her at her husband’s funeral. And that’s why I haven’t done something about it. She needs time to grieve and heal.”
“The way she was looking at you, I would say she’s healed and interested. Besides, I’ve been seeing this strange light thing. It looks like your auras are reaching out to each other.”
“Wow, that’s kind of weird. Are you feeling all right? Maybe you should talk to Quiet Thunder. He would like to know what’s going on with you.”
“Don’t tease me, Derek. You told me the prophecy said I would lead the men to the right women. I’m telling you, Katherine is the one.”
“I’ve known that for almost five years, Cara. But thanks for the confirmation. You should still talk to Quiet Thunder. He’d want to know what you see.”
“Okay, if we go out to the ranch, I’ll mention it to him. Here comes Raven.”
The door opened, and Raven walked in with a pitcher of orange juice. He poured some into a glass before handing it to his brother.
“One glass of orange juice as requested.”
“She requested it, not me,” Derek said, handing the glass to Cara. “I don’t even l
ike orange juice.”
“Don’t be surly, Derek. Everyone likes orange juice. But I’ll drink this glass for you,” Cara said, before taking a large drink from the glass.
“She has you there, little brother,” Raven said, chuckling.
“I think she has all of us wrapped around her little finger,” Derek grumbled.
§
Raven walked into his apartment and pulled Cara into his arms for a kiss. She moaned into his mouth as he pulled her flush against him, letting her feel how much he wanted her. He wanted her. He always wanted her. He couldn’t get enough of her. He reluctantly raised his head when the phone rang.
“You should get that. It might be important.”
“Not as important as you,” Raven said, starting to lower his head.
Cara placed her hand over his mouth to stop him. “Answer the phone. I’m not going anywhere.”
Raven reluctantly reached for the phone, while Cara slipped away and into the bedroom.
“Raven? It’s Gwen. I know you’re busy, but I think you need to come to the ranch. Dad is acting very strangely. He goes out to his studio and doesn’t come out for hours. He isn’t eating. I’m worried.”
“All right, Gwen. Calm down, honey. Cara and I will Shadow-walk tomorrow. We’ll be there in time for lunch. Is that soon enough?”
“Thank you, Raven. I know now isn’t a good time. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was important.”
“I know, honey. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Gwen never asked for anything. She was really upset.
“All right. Goodbye.”
Leaning his head against his hand, Raven groaned. Was he ever going to get some alone time with Cara?
“Is something wrong?” Cara asked, standing in the bedroom door.
“That was Gwen. She’s worried about Isanti. I need to go out to the ranch tomorrow. Will you come?”
“Of course, Raven. Don’t be silly. Besides, I wanted to talk to Quiet Thunder. Is he all right?”
“I honestly don’t know. He can be strange at the best of times. But I owe him so much. We all do.”
“Not to change the subject, but I think I need to do some shopping for Shadow-walking-proof clothes.”
“Gwen and Lindy will know the best places to go. But I did order a couple of things for you.”
“You did?”
“If I give them to you now, will you promise to model them for me?”
“I don’t see why not. Where are they?”
“Here,” Raven said, while taking two boxes out of the closet by the door. He handed them to Cara.
She walked over to the entryway table and lifted the first box top to find a red-silk lace bra and panty set. The other box contained a matching set in black.
“I don’t think these are going to keep me very warm.”
“No, but they will keep you covered. No more walking into the clinic naked. We can shop for the outer layers after we see Isanti. Just wear a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt. I have a leather coat you can wear.”
“I need shoes. All I have are these tennis shoes, and they will fall apart in no time.”
“You can borrow a pair from one of the girls until we get you some of your own.”
“Does that mean you will be carrying me through Shadow tomorrow?”
“Tehila, I will carry you through hell if you ask me to.”
Chapter Ten
Raven held up the leather coat for Cara to slip into before turning her and reaching for each button.
“It’s always cold in the Shadow Dimension,” he said, enjoying his task of pushing each button through its hole, his fingers brushing against her breast. “You need to stay alert and keep where you want to go uppermost in your mind. People have gotten lost in Shadow and were never seen again.”
“If it’s so dangerous, why do you go in?”
“We are going to travel in a few seconds what it would take twelve hours to drive in a car. Saving that kind of time is worth the risk, don’t you think?”
“I guess I can see the benefits.”
Raven took her hand and walked over to the corner of the room where the shadows were thickest. Releasing her, Cara watched in fascination as he crouched down and felt around near the floor. Finding what he was looking for, he pushed both hands into the shadow and then stretched them apart. He continued to stretch them apart as he rose up from his crouch.
“You have to open the door big enough to walk in. But once through, you always need to close it behind you,” Raven said, taking her hand again.
Cara followed Raven into the Shadow Dimension and, while he closed the door behind them, looked around in amazement. Cold hit her first and seemed to sink into her bones. The other times she had come through Shadow, she had been injured, but this time she wanted to take it all in. Here was another whole world, writhing with black wisps of mist and shadow. But at the same time, she could see Raven’s apartment dimly as if looking through a dirty window.
She opened her mouth to speak, but wisps of mist flowed into her mouth, and she started to cough. Her lungs hurt from the cold.
Use telepathy while in Shadow. It is much more comfortable, Raven sent into her mind, as his arm surrounded her waist and he lifted her into his arms.
Focus on the front porch of the ranch house. See every detail in your mind, the railing of the porch, the siding of the house, the window, the front door.
Cara did as she was instructed and could see the image Raven held in his mind of the porch. Then, there was a sense of movement, the mist flowed around them, and instead of Raven’s apartment, Isanti’s front porch could be seen on the other side of the Shadow barrier.
Raven lowered Cara to the ground and moved to the side of the porch that was in shade. He quickly opened a door, and they walked out of Shadow and onto the porch.
“That was amazing,” Cara said, rubbing her arms and shivering from the change in temperature, while Raven closed the door behind them.
“I’m glad you think so because I travel this way all the time,” Raven said, before moving to the front door and knocking lightly.
The front door opened quickly, and Gwen stood in the entryway, looking worried. She hugged Raven tightly.
“Thank you for coming. I’m sorry I dragged you away from work,” Gwen said.
“I took the week off, Gwen. It’s not a problem, really,” Raven said to reassure her. “Cara needs your help getting Shadow-walking clothes and shoes. Can we come inside? I want to get her warmed up.”
“Oh, of course. Forgive me, Cara. Come in. I have hot water on for tea,” Gwen said, stepping back and ushering them inside. She closed the front door and smiled faintly, before turning and leading them into the kitchen.
Raven kept his hand on Cara’s back, escorting her to a chair at the table, before kneeling in front of her. He picked up one foot and rubbed it vigorously, warming and massaging each toe, before moving to the other foot.
“I’ll get you a pair of slippers,” Gwen said as she hurried out of the room.
“Are you warming up? Let me get that cup of tea for you,” Raven said, rising and moving around the kitchen.
Cara had to admit that she was still shivering slightly and felt cold all the way to her core. Raven seemed fine, and she felt kind of jealous at how well he handled everything. It wasn’t every day you walked through another dimension.
He stood at the counter, pouring water into a cup. The sun from the window made his black hair shine. As Cara’s eyes traveled down from his hair, she took in the cotton sweater and black jeans that hugged his luscious behind before moving to his muscular legs and black cowboy boots. The man was eye candy of the highest order, and he was hers.
Warmth suffused her face as he glanced back and caught her ogling his butt. Shadow hadn’t stolen all of her warmth after all. Raven could make her hot all over quicker than a hot beverage ever could. His eyes lit up, and he smiled, while bringing the tea over to the table and placing it in front of her.
&nbs
p; Lowering his head, he kissed her lightly. The contact brought more warmth rushing to the surface, and her lips tingled from his touch. She reached up, grabbing his sweater and holding him to her as she licked his lower lip. Deepening the kiss, she tangled their tongues together. The sound of Gwen returning to the kitchen and clearing her throat convinced Cara to release Raven. Sighing, she picked up the tea and took a sip.
“I brought you these slippers. I have two pairs, and this one is the newest.”
“Thank you, Gwen. I appreciate your letting me use them. All of my shoes would disintegrate in Shadow,” Cara said, sliding her feet into the leather, fur-lined slippers.
“I know of a couple of stores where we can shop for shoes. But it means traveling through Shadow to reach them. You can borrow a pair of my shoes when we’re ready to go. Maybe Lindy would like to go with us. She’ll be home this afternoon. We can make it a girls’ day out. Ana is out of the country, or she would come too.”
“That sounds like fun, if Raven doesn’t mind,” Cara said, looking up at him.
“Of course, I don’t mind, tehila. I’ll give you girls the company credit card. Just don’t go too crazy.”
“Three women out shopping? That would never happen,” Cara said before they all started laughing. She liked Raven’s foster sisters. It would be fun to spend time with them.
§
Now that the women were on their way to go shopping, it was time to find out what was going on with Isanti. Gwen was right in saying he disappeared into his studio for hours at a time. He hadn’t appeared for lunch, even though Gwen had knocked on his door and called him.
Raven felt as if he needed to beard the lion in his den. Running his hand through his hair, he walked down the path to the small two-room building Isanti used as his studio. Raven knocked loudly and waited. Would Isanti answer? When no one appeared, Raven knocked again and then called.
“Quiet Thunder, open the door. We need to talk. Isanti, you are scaring the girls. Open up.” Should he Shadow-walk in? If Isanti didn’t open the door soon, that was plan B.
Shadow of My Heart (Shadow-Walker Tribe Series) Page 10