Will turned his face toward hers at the sound, his lips brushing hers. He pulled back, looking into her eyes with more tenderness than she believed possible.
She lifted her face to his and kissed his parted lips, tentatively, seeking the consolation they offered.
Will leaned back, his eyes widened in surprise. And fear. Why would Will be afraid?
She didn’t stop to think about it. She only knew what she needed. Him. Reaching her hand up to his head, she pulled him back slowly, until his lips were on hers again.
This time he kissed her back until hers were no longer tentative, but urgent instead. He pulled away again, pressing his cheek next to hers and breathed in her ear, “Emma.”
She heard the hesitation in his voice.
“Please.” She turned her mouth to his and felt his indecision. “Please,” she begged. “I need you.” Her voice broke and she kissed him again, in sad desperation. He was the one who could save her from this pit of hell. He was her salvation.
Will groaned and his body sagged into her, lighting a fire of hope. He cradled her head in his hand and pulled her close, chasing away the nightmare in her mind.
He stopped. “Emma, I’m sorry.” He pulled back, sounding horrified.
“No,” she clung to him, and her eyes pleading with his. “Please.” He kissed her, releasing a fresh batch of tears. This time he understood. He tenderly wiped her tears and followed with his lips, soft and warm. His lips were a double-edged sword. They filled the void, but only partially, leaving her with an ache for something more. She found his mouth, kissing him with a fervor that startled him. He groaned and stood, pulling her with him, his mouth still on hers, just as urgent, just as needing.
“Emma, are you sure?”
She knew she should care. She knew she should think of him, but the pain was too overwhelming to think of anything else. She responded with her mouth on his, eager and demanding. That was all the encouragement he needed. He scooped her into his arms and moved to the bedroom within a few steps. Will set her on the edge of the bed and stripped off her shirt. She lay back waiting and watching him as he hesitated again. Emma knew she had never needed anything more than she needed him right now. She reached up and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward her. He had his shirt and the sweat pants off in seconds and lay beside her in the bed.
Emma wrapped her arms around him for fear he’d change his mind. Her mouth was on his again, hot and needing. All hesitation gone, Will’s need seemed to equal her own, making her dizzy with exhilaration. He rolled her on her back and straddled her, lifting her arms over her head and then running his hands down their sides, stopping at her breasts. He watched her face the entire time and she returned his gaze, amazed at the emotion she saw there. He leaned down and kissed her mouth again before moving down to her breasts and she reveled in it. Will eclipsed the pain. If only for this brief time, he was her savior.
She reached down and pulled his mouth back to hers, needing to taste him again. He moaned into her mouth as she reached down and pulled on his hips, showing him what she needed.
“God help me, Emma. I want you,” he gasped. She cried from the odd mixture of passion, gratitude and consolation, only vaguely aware of the burning on her back, before overcome with her rising need. It didn’t take long for her climax, with him right behind her. Will collapsed beside her and gathered her into his arms, pulling her close as she cried herself to sleep.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
If Will ever wondered if he was a bastard, he sure proved it this afternoon. God, what was I thinking? Obviously, he wasn’t. It bothered him that it bothered him at all. He never cared before. If a woman was willing, why not? And Emma had been more than willing, she begged him. That got him off the hook. Maybe it was hard to convince himself because it forced him to admit that Emma meant something to him. And he wasn’t ready to go there yet.
After she fell asleep, he rolled her away to get up. As he pushed her on her side, he noticed a tattoo on her right shoulder blade. He’d seen plenty of tattoos on women before, but this one caught his eye. About three inches tall and two inches wide, the center was composed of vertical flames of a fire. Elaborate waves of water ran horizontal across the bottom of the flames. But it was the intersection of the two that caught his eye. Chills tingled down his back. In the center was a miniature version of the mark on his arm.
Holy shit.
Will had no idea what it meant, but he suspected how it got there. He looked down at his arm again, trying to remember what Jake had said, amazed when it instantly popped into his head.
The land will fall desolate and cold
As it waits for the promised ones.
God resides within the queen
While she hides among the people of the exile land
Hunted for that which she must lose
One who is named protector, The Chosen One,
Shall be a shield, counselor, companion
If he were to believe any of that crap, and it was a big if, then he was The Chosen One. Jake told him that. He said he needed to be sure for his mother. The Chosen One was protector, shield, counselor, and companion. Will glanced down at Emma, now curled into a fetal position. He pulled the blanket up to cover her, but left her shoulder exposed. Did that mean she was the queen? She hides among the people of the exile land. He didn’t know what exile land meant, but she had been hiding for the last three years. Hunted for that which she must lose. Jake. Shit. His chest tightened with anxiety. Jake knew he would be killed. He had to make sure Will would protect Emma. How long had he known? His stomach twisted when he wondered if Jake had known the first moment they met.
Shit.
The room closed in on him and he felt a desperate need for fresh air to clear his head. Will grabbed his clothes, processing this new information as he walked to the living room. That was why Jake insisted Emma go with him. That was why he didn't tell Emma whom Will worked for. Jake knew that Will wouldn’t turn her over.
He sucked in deep breaths. Jake knew he would die. That had to be why he’d been so quiet the day before. But what about the morning he died? Will had been too busy in the middle of his own pity party to notice. Why didn’t Jake tell him? And why did he insist he and Will would be enemies?
Will found a coffee pot and put it on the woodstove, then went out the back door, startled to see the sun had begun to set. He thought about the second half of the prophecy.
The elevated one will arise from great sorrow
In the full moon after the summer solstice
His powers will be mighty and powerful
He will rise up to rule the land
The supplanter will challenge him
But only one will be overcome
By that which has no price
None of it made sense to him and he wasn’t sure he even wanted it to. What a fucking mess. Irritation grated his nerves. This was just a job with a reward of a nice, fat paycheck. Since when did he turn away money, especially for a woman? Of course, turning her over wasn’t even an option anymore. His willingness to throw his career and probably his life away for her still shocked him.
***
Emma stumbled through the dark forest. Crying, she searched for Jake, calling his name. The truck stood in front of her, on fire. Her screams filled the forest. She tried to run toward the truck, but something held her back. She twisted to see Will holding her waist. She tried to pry his arm away. “Let me go! Let me go!” but he held on tighter. Her screams grew louder.
“Mommy.” Jake’s voice whispered in her head.
Emma froze. The forest darkened and everything disappeared, even Will. Terror wrapped around her heart. “Jake?” she called out in a croaked whisper, frozen by the nothingness around her.
“Mommy.” Jake’s face, dimly lit, appeared several feet away. He walked toward her as the rest of his body appeared.
Emma fell to her knees in relief. Jake stopped about three feet in front of her. She reached out to him.
He shook his head, a frown appearing. “You can’t touch me Mommy, I’m sorry. I’m lucky I can see you this way.”
“I’m dreaming…”
Jake’s mouth lifted into a slight smile. “You're dreaming, but I’m really here. I’m alive.”
Emma fell face to the ground, sobbing with thankfulness. She couldn’t believe he was really here.
“Mommy, please don’t cry. I don’t have much time,” he pleaded.
Emma pushed up, still on her knees. “I don’t understand… how...”
He smiled at her, the smile he always used when he understood things she couldn’t. “I didn’t die, but I'm gone. You have to stay with Will now.”
“No.” She shook her head. “No, I’ll come get you.”
His eyes dulled. “No, Mommy. You can’t.”
“Where are you, Jake? Tell me where you are.”
“Mommy, it doesn’t matter…”
“I have to know,” she pleaded. “Please, Jake, tell me.”
The corners of his mouth lifted up in a sad smile. “You have to stay with Will and forget about me now.” He sounded firm and authoritative.
“Forget about you? How can I forget about you? You are my life.” Her voice broke.
“You have a new life now, with Will. You need him and he needs you. It's your destiny.”
“You are my destiny.”
“Not anymore.”
She shook her head trying to understand. “No…”
“Mommy, I couldn’t see you hurt anymore.” His calm voice soothed her pain. “I shouldn’t have come to you, but I had to let you know you don’t have to cry anymore.” His voice broke and a tear fell down his cheek.
“I didn’t even say goodbye,” she cried.
“It’s okay.”
“I wasn’t even very nice to you before… I can’t remember the last time I said I love you.” Her words cracked under the weight of her pain.
“I know, Mommy, it’s okay.”
“I love you, Jake.”
“I know, Mommy. I love you, too.”
Her body shook with sobs. “I’ll come find you, Jake.”
“No, Mommy. You must promise to stay with Will.”
“But I can’t leave you there.”
“I have to go before they find out I’m gone. Promise me. I can’t leave you until you promise you’ll stay with Will.”
He looked so devastated she had no choice. “I promise,” she choked out.
“Please be careful, Mommy. And stay with Will. He’ll protect you.” He backed up and his voice grew softer.
“Jake!”
“I love you, Mommy.” His voice echoed in the darkness.
Emma sat up in bed, completely naked, covered by a blanket. Will. She knew she should be embarrassed by her earlier behavior, but she was too overjoyed to care. She found the t-shirt she wore earlier, threw it on over her head and walked out of the room. Will stood in front of the makeshift kitchen.
“Jake’s alive. He’s alive, Will.” Dizzier than she expected, she held onto the door to keep herself upright.
Will turned, startled. “Emma, you should probably sit down.”
“You’re not listening to me.”
“I know you think…”
“I saw him. He talked to me.”
Will stared at her like she had lost her mind, not that it surprised her. “Emma, the truck exploded,” his voice lowered. “How could he talk to you?”
“He came to me in a dream.”
“I’m sure you’ll dream about him. I'd be surprised if you didn’t.” His arms slipped around her waist, pulling her to him. Her cheek rested on his chest, the soft murmur of his heart in her ear.
“No, it wasn’t like that. He was there, really there.”
“I’m sure it seemed that way, you want to see him,” he said softly, stroking her hair.
Frustrated that he wasn’t listening to her, she took a deep breath and pulled back to look at his eyes. “No, he was there and he told me I had to stay with you.”
His mouth lifted into a grin. “I thought that was pretty clear.”
“I have to go find him.”
“Emma. You’ve just been through an ordeal. You’re not thinking clearly.”
“I have to go find him. Are you going with me?”
He sighed and pulled her to his chest. “We’ll have this discussion, but not tonight, okay? It’s not like we could go right now anyway. We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere and I’m still not sure how we’re getting out.”
“I can’t just sit here knowing Jake is alive somewhere and needs me!”
“Even if we left in the dark with no money and no car, where are we going to get him? Where do you think he is?”
“I don't know. He didn’t tell me.” The lack of information vexed her.
Will sighed, only in pity, not frustration.
She stiffened. “You think I’m crazy.”
“No, I think you’re distraught and exhausted.”
He was right. She was tired and had no idea where they had taken Jake. It had to be enough to know he was alive, but the need for him burned deep in her marrow. “Alright, but we leave first thing tomorrow. ”
He kissed her forehead. “We’ll see. You’re still weak and need to eat. If we’re walking out of here, which is the only way I see out at this point, you’re going to need your strength.”
He kept an arm around her waist and pulled her to the chair she sat in earlier.
“There aren’t many choices for food here, but I can make some rice.”
She watched him find a pot. “You cook?”
He winked and flashed his wicked smile. “I can do all sorts of things you probably never even thought of.”
After Will started the rice, he sat in the chair and pulled her onto his lap.
She sat sideways, her head cradled on his shoulder. It felt odd not fighting with Will. She had an urge to touch him, but she suddenly felt shy. She hadn’t been held by a man in a long time. He saw her at her worst, yet here he was, holding her. She tentatively reached her hand to his, which rested across her legs. He lifted it and laced her fingers through his.
She looked into his eyes. “You saved my life. Thank you.”
He was silent for a moment. “I think this makes you my slave for life now.” She heard the hint of a tease.
“Slave? Really? I thought I just owed you a favor or something.”
His arm tightened around her back. “I prefer slave and all the connotations that go with it.”
She snorted. “Yeah, don't get too carried away.”
“Emma?” Will’s free hand rubbed her arm.
“Umm?”
“Tell me about your tattoo.”
Of all the things he could have asked, this one surprised her the most. “My tattoo?”
“The one on your shoulder.”
“I haven’t thought about it in awhile. I never see it since it’s on my back.” The familiar feeling of fear and helplessness rushed back at the memory.
“When did you get it?”
She hesitated. “Jake’s father…I didn’t really know him.”
“How did you meet him?”
“At a party.” Glad Will couldn’t see her face, she bit her lip and grimaced. She had never told anyone before and she wasn’t sure why she decided to tell him now. She knew she shouldn’t be embarrassed, yet couldn’t stop the shame. “I was a senior in college and I went to a party with a friend. There was a guy, and it was like this guy was waiting for me, like he knew I would be there. But I didn’t decide to go until the last minute, so it was weird that he knew I’d be there.” Feelings of shame slunk back, a heavy weight on her shoulders. She’d locked away the fear and guilt years ago. Why did he make her think about it now? “Why do you want to know?”
“Emma, you only have to tell me about the tattoo. I know you have a past.” He shook his head. “I definitely do.”
“I know, but it’s part of it.”
; “Okay.” He rubbed her arm again in encouragement.
***
The fall semester of her senior year in college wasn’t turning out how Emma planned. And Emma had a master plan, one that mapped out the next ten years. But her long-term boyfriend suddenly decided he preferred blondes over brunettes, and the news shook her carefully orchestrated world. When not in classes, she spent the next two weeks in her apartment studying, crying, and adjusting to the tilting of her universe. Until one Friday night, as she focused on a complicated accounting equation, a friend called and invited her to a frat party. Emma had no desire to go, midterms were approaching, but her friend insisted that Emma get out and have some fun. Emma saw the logic in it.
She regretted her decision the moment she arrived. People crowded into the house and spilled out the front door in to the yard. Music blared through open windows as she approached, pounding her already aching head. Her friend insisted on staying, despite Emma’s protests. As she walked toward the house, a sense of foreboding crawled up her spine and she considered walking the three miles home. She stood in the driveway, watching the crowd, hanging on her indecision.
That’s when she saw him.
He leaned against the trunk of a giant oak tree, watching her. His posture suggested indifference, yet the way he tilted his head to the side reeked of arrogance. The air of a guy used to getting what he wanted. He appraised her as she turned to watch him, and his slow, spreading smile told her he liked what he saw. He pushed away from the tree and walked toward her.
“Hi,” he said with a hint of cockiness. He was tall and blond and everything she never considered in a guy before. He linked his arm in hers. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
She stared at him in surprise. “I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong person.”
He flashed a dazzling smile, looking like a Greek god with his blond curls, blue eyes and chiseled features. “No, I’ve been waiting for you, Emmanuella.”
He led her into the house, sidestepping a rowdy group of guys shoving each other in the entryway. She tried to figure out how he knew her real name. She'd never told anyone at college. The deafening music made conversation impossible. He leaned over, his warm breath tickling her ear. “Let’s go get a drink.”
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