by S. E. Duncan
“Okay, you look first. If this was a Demon attack you try to show me. If not, I won’t ask to see. Keep in mind that I will know if you are lying to me. I want you to promise me - on our bond, Burke - that if this was a Demon attack you will do everything within your power to share the vision with me.”
“Okay,” Burke agreed, but Ella could clearly see that he wasn’t happy about it. Geez, how awkward – she hated trying to talk him into something she wasn’t really thrilled about anyway. Couldn’t he understand that this was necessary?
Burke walked around to the head of the table and placed one hand on each side of the victim’s head. He closed his eyes and waited.
Ella watched Burke intently. He stood motionless, cradling the man’s head. Ella could see his eyes moving behind his closed lids. It made her think of a dreaming child. Occasionally Burke would grimace or his features would harden. After what seemed an eternity, but in reality was only four or five minutes, Burke released the young man’s head and stumbled backward.
Ella rushed to his side and led him to a chair to sit. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” Burke stared at the floor.
“Was it the Demon?”
Slowly he raised his eyes to meet hers. “Yes.”
“Do you need a few minutes?”
“No, I’m fine. I’ve done this many times. If you’re determined and I can’t change your mind, then let’s just get it over with. There are a few things you need to know first, Ella. The vision cannot hurt you; it’s not actually happening to you. You will feel the victim’s pain and fear, but unlike him – you will survive it. This vision will become a memory for you. You’ll never forget it – especially with your photographic memory. This is your first vision, your first death. You’ll think about it often, and you’ll relive it in your dreams. Are you sure you want this?”
Ella glanced at the table then back at Burke. She tentatively bit her lip. “Yes,” she finally said. “We need as much information as possible to stop this evil.”
“Okay.” Burke took Ella’s had in his and led her towards the autopsy table. “Spread your fingers as far apart as you can and place your hands on each side of his head.”
Ella did as she was told. The man’s head was unnaturally cold, but Ella did not flinch. Burke stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He laid his hands over hers with his palm covering the back of her hand and his fingers making contact with the victim’s head between her fingers. “Now close your eyes and wait.”
At first Ella thought it wasn’t going to work, then suddenly she found herself storming off from her girlfriend at the movie in the city park. All he and Julie did anymore was fight! It was getting fucking ridiculous. He and Mara were just friends – okay so they had fooled around once. But they had been drunk, and that really couldn’t be held against him! Besides, the thing with Mara had opened his eyes to the truth. He wasn’t happy with Julie anymore and he knew she wasn’t happy with him. He needed to get some balls and just end it.
Someone was quickly walking towards him. “Hey Buddy, can I borrow your cell phone? My battery just died.”
“Sure,” Ella reached into her pocket for her phone.
“Thanks man.” Instead of taking the phone, the guy grabbed Ella’s face between his hands. His eyes glowed red and his mouth opened wider and wider almost in slow motion, revealing rows of angry jagged teeth. Ella was too hypnotized by the horror to scream. No fuckin’ way was this for real. The creature pulled her closer and started inhaling over her face. She struggled and kicked but only briefly. She was paralyzed – but whether by fear or some side effect of the Demon’s kiss she couldn’t be certain. As her body went limp, he threw her into the gully. There was a sickening thud accompanied by the crunch that was the side of her head caving in. It was strange how the sound echoed through her body.
Ella released the dead man’s head like one would release a venomous snake. She fell backward into Burke’s arms, trying to catch her breath. He dropped into a seated position on the floor and cradled her against his chest. “Ella! Ella, listen to me. It’s not real. You’re okay.”
Ella looked towards his voice and her glazed eyes cleared and focused. “It was him!” She spun around in Burke’s lap and grabbed onto him. “It was him Burke! He was right there; we saw him and let him walk away!” She put her head between her knees and took several deep breaths. “Holy shit!” she exclaimed. “You’re actually there - it’s actually you. You can feel it. You can see it and you can feel it.”
“I tried to tell you.” Burke held Ella tight, hating that she had been exposed to this.
“I know, but dear sweet lord! No amount of pre-briefing can really prepare you for that.”
“Are you okay?”
“Just give me a minute; I think I need a drink of water.”
Chapter 12: The Devil Is In The Details
“I cannot believe he was right there not twenty feet away from us, and we just let him walk away!” Ella said for about the third time.
They were in Burke’s truck headed to his house. It was late. Burke and Carl would start the autopsy together first thing in the morning.
“We had no way of knowing it was him, Ella.”
Spun up did not even begin to describe how Ella was feeling. It had taken awhile for her to calm down after the vision. The young man who had walked away instead of plugging the popcorn machine back in was the Demon. She kept replaying both the vision and seeing him before the show’s start over and over again in her mind.
“You’d think I would have known, that I would have gotten - I don’t know - some kind of feeling or something.”
“If it were that easy he wouldn’t have lasted five minutes on Quintar. The warriors would have known.”
“He looked directly at us. When the guy selling concessions asked the Demon to plug the cord back in, he looked at us, reached for the plug, looked at us again, and then scurried away. Why? Why didn’t he just plug it back in? Did he know there was a short in the wire? He must have. There’s no other explanation. What would it have done to him? He didn’t look scared. He looked like he was thinking about it for a second. Why?”
“Are you asking me or just thinking out loud?” Burke asked when Ella finally paused to take a breath.
“I’m asking you.”
“Well, I have no idea why he didn’t just plug it in. You’re right, though. It was very weird.”
“It must mean something. What about hysterical girl – Julie? Is she gonna take the fall for this?”
“Not if I can help it. She was nowhere around when it happened. He stormed off; surely someone who was there noticed him get up and walk away while Julie was still sitting there. There won’t be bruising from the Demon grabbing him, or at least there never has been before. He doesn’t have to be forceful at all; it’s like his gaze is hypnotic.”
“Yeah, I got that from the vision. I was so enthralled I couldn’t even scream... or he couldn’t even scream. It’s so weird the way you’re there and it’s happening to you, but you’re not you and you have no control. You literally are that other person.” Burke let Ella ramble; she was on a roll.
“I was completely mesmerized by his eyes changing,” she continued. “The red billowed out from the pupil like smoke. Have his eyes always been green before turning red?”
“I can’t be sure. I’d hate to even guess.” Burke shrugged.
“That’s exactly why I wanted to see.” Ella reached across the seat, took his hand and squeezed it. “There has to be some consistent aspect to him.”
They pulled to a stop in front of Burke’s house. He grabbed her bag from the back and they went inside.
“Come on, Hutsool, we’ve had a rough night. Let’s sit in the bathtub together until we dissolve.” Burke smiled at her and even though she was a ball of frustrated emotions, her heart rate picked up a little.
~~
Ella sat on the bathroom bench in her bra and panties while Burke filled the tub w
ith water. He opened the medicine cabinet and took out a jar full of dried herbs.
“What’s that?” she asked as he sprinkled a generous amount into the water.
“Just some herbs from the greenhouse that will help us relax. Let’s face it - we’ve had one hell of a day.”
Ella took a deep breath. She’d never been exposed to these particular herbs, and their effect on her was both powerful and rapid. Almost immediately a sense of calm washed over her. She knew it was the herbs, but she didn’t care. “I know something else that will help us relax,” she purred as she rose and started to unbutton Burke’s shirt.
Burke didn’t want to steer the evening away from where it was currently heading, but he couldn’t help but be a little worried about Ella. Living through someone else’s death could be a very traumatic experience. He was pleasantly surprised that she seemed to be handling it even better than most healers did. Of course she’d had a strong personality before, and the awakening process merely amplified what was already there. He took her face in his hands. “Are you sure you’re okay, Hutsool?”
“I’m fine, now shhhhh” Ella kissed his face and neck as she pushed his shirt down his shoulders. Burke unfastened his pants and kicked them and his boxers into the corner. Within seconds Ella’s bra and panties had joined the pile.
“Come, Hutsool, let me wash you,” he said as he stepped into the deep tub. He took Ella’s hand as she climbed in front of him and sat between his legs with her back against his chest. Burke ran his hands up her arms, over her breasts, down her flat stomach, and between her legs. Ella let her knees fall to either side of the tub, giving him full access to what they both knew belonged to him and him alone. Burke growled with pleasure. She could feel him hardening against her back.
“Not yet,” he said. He placed both hands on her hips and pushed her slightly forward before picking up a large cup. “Lean your head back.” She did as she was told and sat hugging her knees to her chest as he wet her hair. Burke picked up the shampoo and poured some into his hands. Ella reveled in the sensuality of his fingers running through her long tresses and massaging her scalp. After he rinsed and conditioned her hair, he picked up a large loofah sponge and lathered it with a spicy smelling soap. He ran the sponge over her back and shoulders then squeezed it over her chest letting the frothy bubbles wash over her breasts. Burke leaned forward and kissed her under her ear before whispering, “Turn around.”
Ella spun around and stretched out with her back resting against the foot of the tub. Burke picked up first one of her legs and then the other. He let his lips trail along her flesh preceding the sponge. He planted feather light kisses first on each of her toes, then her knee, before lightly nipping the inside of her thigh. This is truly making love, Ella thought, and she rejoiced in it.
“Your turn,” she said taking the sponge from him. She poured more soap over it to increase the lather. She washed him with the same assiduousness he had just showed her. When he was clean Ella dropped the sponge into the water and climbed onto Burke’s lap. She grabbed the shampoo bottle, poured a little into her hands, and rubbed them together. She took his head in her hands and kissed him deeply while running her fingers through his short dark hair. She pressed her breasts against him and shifted her hips forward as he continued to swell against her. Losing interest in Burke’s hair, Ella reached between them and began to run her hands up and down his length.
Burke inhaled sharply. He slid forward, not caring that water splashed over the side of the tub and pooled on the floor, then leaned back under the water to rinse the soap from his hair and body. In one swift movement he was out of the bath with Ella in his arms. He stood her on the soaked bathmat, grabbed a fluffy towel, and haphazardly ran it over Ella’s body then his own.
Seconds later Ella found herself lying across the bed with Burke stretched out beside her. “In a hurry?” she teased.
“Not at all,” he grinned the sexy crooked smile that he reserved just for her. “I want to try something, so be still,” he breathed.
Ella’s eyes widened in anticipation as Burke’s hands began to glow faintly. He lightly stroked one of her breasts. Ella’s nipple obediently stood to attention. It was definitely much less intense compared to the way he had touched her the last day of her awakening. It felt tingly and an erotic warmth radiated through her from the point of contact. “Okay?” he asked.
Ella was at a loss for words, so she settled for enthusiastically nodding her head yes.
Burke was pleased with her response. “Turn over,” he instructed. “I’m going to touch you everywhere.”
Ella obediently rolled onto her stomach. Burke slid down to the foot of the bed and slightly parted Ella’s legs. Starting with her feet he ran his luminous hands up each leg and across her buttocks. He rubbed her back, shoulders, and neck. A trail of goose bumps erupted as proof that he had been there. Ella felt the tension of the day, the month - hell, her whole life - seep from her body. “Now your front,” he whispered as he knelt beside her.
Ella slid towards Burke then turned over onto her back. He again started with her feet massaging his way up her thighs. Ella felt the muscles at her center clench and she was wet with anticipation. She actually let out a little whimper when Burke stopped at the top of her leg and picked up one of her hands.
“Patience,” he whispered in a promising tone. He caressed her fingers and wrists. He tenderly stroked both of her arms before trailing his glimmering hands down her chest and cupping her breasts. He paused to tease her nipples, delighting in the way they elongated and hardened. He proceeded down her smooth stomach. Ella’s legs were already parted, and Burke desperately wanted to put his mouth on her pink, glistening skin, but she seemed to be enjoying what he was doing and she’d probably smash him through a wall if he stopped now. He gently ran his finger up the apex of her thighs to her core.
“Burke!” Ella cried out and involuntarily curled into a ball as wave after wave of the most earth-shattering orgasm she’d ever experienced rolled through her body.
“Good?” Burke asked when Ella had regained control. She launched herself at him, knocking him flat across the bed. She sat on his stomach with her hands on his biceps. Burke flexed his arms but couldn’t move them. “What are you doing?” he huskily asked.
Ella leaned forward, rubbing the dampness of her pleasure over his skin. First she kissed his chest and neck then along his jaw. She took his earlobe between her teeth and gently pulled before whispering in his ear, “I’m fucking you like a warrior.”
Burke tried to sit up, but she forcefully pushed him back down. Her eyes gleamed. She rocked back on her heels then lowered herself slowly inch by inch onto his erection. When her hips made contact with his she immediately started the journey back up moving deliberately at an excruciating pace. “Please Ella,” Burke moaned.
“Patience,” she breathed in the same tone he had used earlier. This time when she completed the downward journey and he was completely sheathed inside her she began to rotate her hips. Back and forth, up and down she tortured him. Burke couldn’t stand it anymore. He reached up behind her with one of his legs and hooked it around her. He flipped her onto her back and slammed into her. He threw his head back and bellowed as he met his release from her delightful game.
Burke collapsed next to her. “Good?” Ella asked with a cocky grin.
He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. “Everything about you is better than anything I could have ever hoped for.”
Burke rolled her over and spooned her against him. He buried his face in her hair and together they fell into a much needed sleep.
~~
Ella was still wrapped in Burke’s arms when she woke up the next morning. I wouldn’t mind waking up like this every morning, she thought. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and was surprised at the time.
“Burke,” she said rubbing his arm.
He smiled before opening his eyes, “Good morning.”
“Good m
orning yourself, but it’s almost nine o’clock. What time do you need to go to work?”
“I’d better get going. The department will want a report from last night.” He continued to lay there holding her, allowing his actions to contradict his words.
“I see I’m gonna have to make the first move.” Ella laughed, untangling herself from his arms. “Would you like some breakfast?”
“No, I’ll just grab a granola bar. Carl’s probably already started and I should be there.” He got up, stretched, and pulled on jeans and a t-shirt.
Ella picked up the bag she had packed the night before and started getting dressed herself. “If you drop me off at the apartment on your way to the office you can pick up the Taser. I need to run to the grocery store and wash some clothes, then I can meet you at the M.E. office later if you want.”
Burke, now fully dressed, stepped towards Ella. “Sounds good.” He gathered her hair into his hands and pulled her head back so he could kiss her throat. “Maybe you should call sometime today and check on your cousin,” He added, before claiming her mouth.
Ella leaned into him and wound her arms around his neck. “If you keep this up we’ll never get out of here,” she whispered when he pulled away to look into her eyes.
Burke smiled and slung her backpack onto his shoulder. He grabbed his keys and wallet from the dresser, then took her hand and headed out the door.
~~
“Don’t bother shutting off the car. I’ll run up and get the Taser real quick,” Ella said when they pulled up in front of her apartment.
She got out of the car, ran up the steps, and disappeared inside. A few minutes later she returned. She handed Burke the Taser, a granola bar, and a bottle of water through his opened truck window. “I’ll cook us supper tonight. Would you like anything special?” she asked.
“Surprise me. Then I’ll have you for dessert,” Burke grinned.
Ella leaned in the window and kissed him. “I’ll see you at the office in a couple of hours.”