Under the Midnight Cloak

by S. Y. Thompson

  No matter how mature we feel, most of the time, there's always someone who comes along and makes us feel like a kid again.

  After a moment of hesitation, Lee blew out a breath and forced herself to relax. Jamison glanced at her and smiled.

  "So it's your father we have to thank for you being here?"

  "Not entirely." Lee thought about the incident with Debbie and how it suddenly didn't seem that important anymore. "I overheard my ex talking on the cell phone and let's just say what I heard didn't cast her in a very good light. I didn't even try to listen to her side of things, I just ended it."

  "I'm sorry. That must have been very painful."

  She bowed her head and then looked at Jamison. "You'd think so, but it really wasn't. I think I used what happened as an excuse. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not happy with what she did, but we never should have been together in the first place."

  "Okay, next question. You said you've done more in your life than most people will do in a lifetime. Like what?"

  "I went rappelling out of a helicopter once."

  "You're kidding!"

  Lee smiled. "Another time I went parachuting."

  "You're out of your mind, do you know that? What could possess you to jump from those kinds of heights?"

  "I want to try the things that interest me before it's too late." Lee shrugged, delighted at the reaction she had garnered.

  "And orthopedic surgery is one of them."

  "No, of course not." They laughed together before Lee asked, "What about you?"

  "Me?" Jamison took a quick sip of her wine.

  "You must have people clamoring for your attention."

  "Not as many as you might think," Jamison said dryly. "I haven't dated anyone in a long time. At least three years."

  "Why?"

  "Work keeps me pretty busy. I work at the Adirondack Park during the weekdays and the rest of the time I help out with the City Council."

  "That doesn't leave a lot of free time."

  "I never needed any...before."

  Lee narrowed her eyes. That was twice Jamison had made a statement indicating deeper feelings than casual friendship. Now it was up to her to either show she was interested or make it clear that she wasn't. She contemplated the broad shoulders under the white sleeveless shirt, the powerful arms and soft skin. Strong hands gently held the fine wine glass, showing how gentle she could be. Jamison had an aura about her, a quiet confidence that lent her an air of unassuming elegance no matter what she did.

  "Please let me shoot you."

  Jamison narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "Why is it so important to you?"

  Taking a deep breath against the emotions swirling inside, Lee released it very carefully. Then she said in her softest voice, "Because I like you, a lot. Because I want to be able to see you, and not just when I close my eyes. I'm not asking you to feel the same way. I just want a picture."

  "I..." Jamison lowered her eyes and then glanced back at her. "You make it hard to say no."

  "Then don't."

  Lee smiled and stood up. She offered a hand to Jamison who took it a moment later. Both of them set their glasses on the coffee table.

  "Where do you want me?" Jamison asked, following as she was led across the living room.

  "Right here. Sit on the hearth."

  The brick facing of the fireplace sat two feet off the hardwood floor and extended three feet from the where the flames roared. Jamison sat down and tucked her hair behind an ear.

  Lee smiled in unabashed pleasure. "Stay right there while I get my camera. Don't move a muscle."

  "Can I breathe?"

  "If you insist." Lee smiled tremulously, trying to keep the image of Jamison's naked breasts heaving in passionate, gasping breaths from forming in her mind.

  A second later she was back, attaching a flash to her Nikon F6. Then she disappeared again only to return with a lever-lock tripod. It took several seconds to get everything set up, but Jamison never complained. She only watched with a slightly bemused expression until Lee had her equipment just the way she wanted.

  When she stepped behind the camera and began sighting in, Jamison asked sardonically, "Are you ready?"

  "Yeah."

  Lee left the camera and walked toward her until she was standing just a foot away. Kneeling, she studied the sculpted features before reaching out to gently stroke Jamison's dark hair back from her face. At this distance, she could see the firelight reflecting off the green eyes and could focus only on what she found there.

  Desire.

  Her gaze moved down to the soft, full mouth. Jamison trembled. Lee smiled and slid her hand down to cup one cheek, gratified when Jamison leaned briefly into the touch. She adjusted Jamison's collar and took a chance by unbuttoning the top fastening of the white shirt. Jamison started slightly, but didn't back away.

  Lee wanted to kiss her. It was a close call that she didn't. Instead, she backed away and behind the camera.

  "Just be natural," she said softly. "Smile if you want or move around, whatever you like."

  Chapter Twelve

  JAMISON LET OUT the breath she'd been holding and shifted slightly. She hadn't been sure what Lee would demand from her or if she expected to put Jamison on display, but with just a few words she had been put at ease. She'd resisted this whole photography thing from the start out of concern that something in the process would display her hidden nature. Now, she wondered why she'd been making a big deal out of nothing.

  A soft, continuous whirring finally caught her attention and she realized it was the shutter on the camera advancing very quickly. After a few seconds, it stopped and Lee peered at her from behind the tripod.

  "That's it. I think they're going to be wonderful. Thanks for indulging me."

  Jamison nodded and smoothed her palms down her jeans. She hadn't even been aware that her hands had started to perspire. As she stood, her cell phone rang. She offered an apologetic smile and answered the call.

  "Kessler."

  "Yeah, this is Dalton. You'd better get over here right now. There's been another attack."

  Jamison bit her lip and took a second to calm down before she took Aaron's head off. She wanted to demand where his team had been while the assault was taking place, but she had to admit that they couldn't be everywhere at once. Worry and fear of what might have happened warred within her.

  "When?"

  "Not long ago. From the look of things, I'd say about an hour. Kessler, this one's bad. I've had to call the sheriff."

  Damn. Sheriff Macke was a human. The Panthera weren't fond of humans knowing about them, but the sheriff's former lover had been a shape changer. Macke only found out right before her girlfriend died of a rare blood disorder. Sam was still angry that Roberta hadn't confided in her and she had no love for the Panthera in general.

  "Understood. Where are you exactly?"

  Aaron let out a disgusted snort. "Shouldn't you know where my team is patrolling tonight? Tell me again why you're leading this investigation?"

  "Just answer the question." Lee couldn't help overhear her side of the conversation so Jamison tried to keep the ire out of her voice.

  "The old sheep meadow just east of Meacham Lake, the Harrison place."

  "All right,. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

  Dalton hung up without saying goodbye. Jamison rolled her eyes slightly and put the phone away before she studied Lee.

  "Everything okay?"

  "Yes, I just have to go."

  "All right. Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

  "No, but I really appreciate the offer. Dinner was wonderful, by the way. Thank you."

  "Maybe we can do it again sometime?"

  They walked toward the door and Jamison opened it to the cool night air. "I'd really like that." She faced Lee and felt unexpectedly unsure. A handshake was out of the question. Jamison considered a friendly hug, but even that wasn't enough. She knew what she wanted, but wondered if it was too soon.

/>   Before Jamison knew what she was doing, she acted on her impulse. She slid one hand around Lee's neck and pulled her close. The move was quick, but the kiss was soft and sweet. She moved her lips over Lee's bottom one, and then sucked gently before drawing her tongue over the smooth flesh.

  She felt Lee's startled intake of breath but it lasted only a split second before her mouth opened, inviting Jamison in. Lee's lips pressed back against her and her hands slid across Jamison's back.

  Moaning softly, Jamison held Lee tightly. Passion rose between them and both were breathing harshly as it scorched them. In seconds they were kissing hungrily, mouths open and tongues tangling. She felt Lee's taut, strong body and tried to absorb every sensation that washed through her. In return, Lee's mouth was insistent. Demanding, soft sounds melted through Jamison as they sought to consume one another.

  From her knees upward, Lee was tight against her body, both of them craving to have desires quenched. No thought remained except the sweet breathlessness sweeping them away. Lee was releasing soft sighs from deep in her throat that made Jamison want to carry things even further.

  At last, they both slowly drew away. Jamison rested her forehead against Lee's and fought to bring her breathing under control. She was surprised to find she was shaking.

  "I'm sorry. I want to stay, but I can't."

  "I know. It's all right. Do...whatever it is you're going to do."

  Jamison smiled at the trust in Lee's voice. So many others would have demanded to know where she was headed so late at night, even after a single date. This woman was definitely unique and she set her blood on fire.

  "Okay. I'll call you later, if it's not too late."

  "You can call even if it is late."

  She smiled again and pressed her lips to Lee's briefly. If she let it go on any longer than that, chances were good she wouldn't leave. "Bye." "Night." Jamison cast one last longing glance back at Lee before she slipped through the door and into the darkness.

  Chapter Thirteen

  AFTER JAMISON LEFT, Lee cleaned up the dinner dishes and then discovered she was pacing restlessly between the living and dining rooms, lost in thought. She had a silly grin on her face and couldn't stop touching her lips. Jamison's kisses had been every bit as astounding as she'd dreamed.

  It was late, but she was so wired sleep wasn't going to come easy. She remembered a trail on the west side of Mafdet still unexplored and thought a walk would help settle her restlessness. Night photography was one of her specialties and the full moon would help provide the perfect backdrop.

  Lee chose her best camera for the job, a Nikon D5000 SLR, and attached a flash to the hot shoe. The camera came with a built-in flash, but it wouldn't be strong enough to capture a quality photo in the reduced light. The Nikon SB-400 would provide light for a distance of sixty-six feet.

  She set the camera for manual operation and added a three hundred millimeter zoom lens. Zoomed out to its full capacity, she set the sharpness to maximum. To keep from blurring a shot, she really needed a tripod, but didn't think it was necessary tonight. At the most, she might find some forest creatures that would scamper away as soon as the flash fired. This excursion was intended to help her relax anyway, not win her the Pulitzer Prize.

  "You coming?"

  Cleo picked her head up from where she lay in front of the fire, her ears pricked forward in hopeful eagerness.

  "Let's go."

  The dog jumped up with her tail wagging and headed for the front door. Lee pushed it open and hopped down the steps with Cleo leading the way. As they entered the woods, Cleo foraged ahead. Her nose stayed to the ground and Lee could just see the white blaze on the tip of her tail. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, but soon the pair moved down the forest trail with equal ease. This path seemed more overgrown than the others around Mafdet, but the full moon allowed them to avoid any obstacles.

  I guess Aunt Chris wasn't big on walking in the woods.

  The camera hung by a strap around her neck, but it wasn't long before she forgot about it. Lee glanced absently around the darkened undergrowth, her attention divided between the path in front of her and Jamison Kessler. Unknowingly, a soft smile graced her lips.

  All Lee could think of was the gentleness in Jamison's kisses and the taste as her tongue stroked inside her mouth. She knew before it happened that she was attracted to the intense, dark-haired beauty. Now she was in danger of becoming enthralled.

  But it's so soon.

  It doesn't matter, she argued with herself. I can't help how I feel. Jamison is nothing like Debbie. She's warm, open, caring and down to Earth. When she looks at me, I can hardly breathe. When she kissed me.... Oh man, she can kiss. I felt it in my soul.

  Lee came to an abrupt stop on the forest floor. "Oh my God, I'm falling in love with her."

  She stood there in stunned amazement while Cleo continued happily on without her. The earlier euphoria of the shared kiss dimmed a little as she acknowledged how deeply involved she was getting. This wasn't something she had planned, but she couldn't deny how right it felt.

  After the initial shock receded somewhat, Lee hurried after her dog. She ran into Cleo around the next bend, surprised the beagle was staring ahead through the trees with her hackles up.

  Lee started to ask what she saw, but stopped short. First, Cleo wouldn't answer. Second, if someone was lurking nearby, she'd only be revealing her own presence.

  And exactly what's out there, she silently scoffed. Maybe it's another monster like the one in the root cellar.

  As much as her logical side insisted she was alone with Cleo, her baser instincts clamored for her to stay still and quiet. Lee obeyed, searching carefully through the brush. Something flickered, a trick of the moonlight as shadows danced farther along the trail. Her eyes widened and her heart rate spiked as adrenaline flooded her system.

  That wasn't moonlight, she comprehended. It was fire. Specifically, it was a campfire.

  She made a motion with her hand for Cleo to stay and shifted to the side of the path for a better look. As usual, Cleo ignored her and moved over, too. Several robed figures stood around the fire. Hoods covered their heads, preventing her from seeing their features. Anger quickly overcame any hesitation.

  Oh please, what a cliché. Trespass onto someone's property in the middle of the night to hold your little satanic rituals? What's next? Are you going to bleed a chicken?

  Lee stalked toward the fire, reaching for her camera at the same time. It was already in position and she started shooting as soon as she entered the clearing. The flash fired like bolts of lightning, illuminating the clearing in a strobe-like fashion each time she pressed the button. Pandemonium broke out among the trespassers and Lee couldn't believe what happened next.

  Cleo raced forward, barking madly while the robed figures scattered. A hood fell back as its wearer ran in the opposite direction. From the long, flowing hair and slight build, this one was definitely female.

  Another, Lee thought to be a man, turned to Cleo and released an unexpected roar. Lee started in fear at the sound that a human throat should have been incapable of making. At the same time, Cleo tucked her tail and bolted behind her. Then, inconceivably, the man bounded at least six feet into the air and over the top of the campfire before disappearing into the darkness.

  She and Cleo were alone; the trespassers had vanished. The clearing was empty and if not for the fire that still burned, she might have believed she imagined everything. Lee stopped setting off the flash and blinked in confusion.

  Had he really roared, she wondered, flabbergasted by the possibility.

  The amazing jump over the fire quickly lost its impressive qualities as she remembered the noise he'd made. High jumpers vaulted much farther than that and there was nothing mystical about their abilities. She just couldn't believe he had roared at Cleo.

  "It's okay."

  Lee squatted down to pet Cleo, who had already forgotten her momentary fright, but was still happy to accept the
attention being lavished upon her.

  "They were probably doing drugs, too. Huh?"

  Outrage simmered just beneath the surface as Lee stood and reached for the cell phone at her hip. It wasn't there and she realized she'd left it at home.

  Great.

  She looked at the fire and decided she couldn't leave it burning while she walked back to the house to call the police. The intruders were already long gone and she couldn't take a chance on setting a forest fire.

  Her disbelief mounted as she walked toward the fire ring. Those people hadn't piled rocks in a loose circle and tossed in a load of brush to create a crude blaze. She was looking at a concrete pit that had been poured in a four-foot wide circle. A low wall at least ten inches high ringed the structure and, from the look of it, the whole thing had been there for years. She wondered if it was something constructed by the original settlers of the area. If so, it could be that the local kids knew about it and came out here now and then to mess around.

  She started looking over the area and discovered a metal tap a few feet away. It was a gas line that fed directly to an in-ground grate beneath the fire pit. Lee twisted it to the off position and watched the height of the flames drop considerably.

  If the fire ring had been installed that long ago, someone had modified it in the last several years to add the gas feed. She deduced the original inhabitants wouldn't have had this type of technology, and it couldn't be a recent addition judging by the rusty components.

  "This had better not be tied into my utilities," Lee said, vowing silently to return with a padlock.

  The fire had all but died away, a few logs flickering weakly. She kicked the timber apart carefully with her hiking boots and waited until there was only the glow from a few hot coals. When it was finally safe, she called Cleo and headed for the manor. Tomorrow she'd develop the pictures, but for now all she wanted was to take a hot shower and call local law enforcement.