“So you want to play dirty, huh?”
“Is there any other way?” She smiled and crouched. Arms in front of her, she wiggled her fingers. “Come on.”
“Hmmm ... okay, I like your style.”
He jabbed at her shoulder with his right hand but she blocked, turned, and swung her leg, kicking him in the gut. He scrunched over, grunting, “Okay, that's it. No more Mr. Nice Guy.”
“Ha, give me all you’ve got.”
“You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?” He kicked his leg toward her back, but Addison turned and caught it with her arm, flipping him over. He recovered and did a back flip taking her by surprise, jabbing her behind the knees on his way down. She collapsed, but recovering quickly, ran to the wall of the cliff, and spun over, aiming her foot at his jaw as he ducked.
They crouched, facing each other.
“Okay,” Cael huffed. “Point proven, I believe you. Your father trained you very well.”
“So you surrender?”
“Why don’t we call it a draw?”
“A draw? Not a chance. If you can’t take anymore, I win.”
He shook his head and teleported behind her tackling her to the ground, pinning her with his body.
“You cheat,” she panted.
“I thought we were playing dirty?”
“Okay, you win since you must outweigh me by two hundred pounds. Get off.” She pushed but he didn’t budge.
“Two hundred pounds? How much do you think I weigh?”
She grunted out a laugh. “I don’t know but it feels like you weigh a ton.”
“One ninety-two, last time I checked.”
He pushed himself up, held out his hand for her, and pulled her in close. Her skin was slick and she smelled of sweat—sweet girly sweat—and he wanted to take her up to the house and feel her slippery body all over his while he made love to her. Instead, he brushed the hair out of her eyes before pushing his own behind his ears. “Let’s go get your stuff.”
When they materialized inside her apartment, Addison’s knees buckled and Cael had to hold her steady.
“Whoa. I think I need a couple of seconds to recuperate after that. I feel a little light-headed.”
“Sorry, I forgot you weren't used to it yet, especially after the workout we just had. Take your time.”
She put her hand on her forehead. “I'm not sure I'll ever be used to you. I'm still considering the possibility that I'm dreaming.”
“Ahhh, a couple more times and it will be nothing at all. You'll see.”
“If you say so.”
He let go. “Steady now?”
“Yes.” She grabbed her backpack, put some clothes—including a sheer, pink button-down blouse Cael decided he was going to enjoy seeing her in—and toiletries inside it and they teleported back to his beach house.
“The pictures I mentioned are on the table over there. After your shower, have a look. I’m going to go check out the farm where they found the woman, see if I can find any clues. I won’t be long.”
“You think whatever is after me killed her?” Addison asked.
“I do, yes. Keep this door locked. Don’t answer it for anyone.”
***
Cael materialized at the spot where they discovered the woman’s body. An abandoned tractor stood in the middle of the field with hay in front and to the sides high enough to cover the large wheels. A freshly groomed path lay behind it. The owners had been working the area when they discovered the body.
He ducked under the yellow tape still outlining the area, being careful where he stepped so as not to disturb anything. He pulled out the gloves he had stuck in his pocket and searched for clues the police might have missed. He inhaled and smelled a faint trace of blood. He followed the scent to a blade of grass stained with a few red droplets. Retrieving a plastic bag from his pocket, he pulled up the clump of grass and placed it in the bag. His eye caught a sparkle of sunlight glistening off something on the ground. It appeared to be a small piece of glass from a beer bottle. He pulled out another bag and put the broken glass in it. He'd need to take the samples to the lab at the Sectory, the home of the organization’s headquarters, before returning to Addison. He wondered how the police managed to miss them, but then they didn’t have his acute sense of sight or smell.
***
When Cael returned to the beach house, Addison was sitting in the living room in front of a crackling fire studying the pictures he had left. The glow from the light of the flames made her hair shine and he ached to run his fingers through the silky strands.
“Hey there.”
She jumped. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to you popping in and out of space so unexpectedly.”
“Sorry. In the future, I’ll try not to materialize so abruptly. Does anything look familiar to you?” He pointed to the pictures in Addison’s lap.
“No, I’m sorry. I’ve never seen anything like these before.”
“Ah, well, it was worth a shot. I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be back in a jiff.”
Upstairs he showered, shaved, and put on a long-sleeved black and gray pinstriped shirt and black plants. Thirty minutes later, he appeared back in the living room. This was the first time she’d seen him close shaven and dressed in something other than a T-shirt and jeans. Pleased by her astonished expression, he walked over to her.
She swallowed as he came closer.
“Feel like taking a walk?” he asked.
“Okay.”
Addison put on her parka, and smiled as Cael pulled out a new black leather jacket from the closet. He slipped it on, once again pleased by her response.
“You never cease to amaze me.”
“What?” he asked, placing his hands at the zipper, his shoulders proudly poised.
“You look ... normal.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Normal?”
“Good ... you look good. Not so mysterious.”
“I’ll try to take that as a compliment.”
“Okay, you look great.”
“And so do you. I particularly like the pink blouse.” He was glad she chose to wear something a little more feminine than the black T-shirts. It delighted him to know she dressed for his benefit.
Taking her hand, they headed to the beach.
Trees hovered over the cliff, drinking in the warm sun. They walked the long stretch of manicured lawn to the edge and strolled down a gradient leading to a little secluded beach.
“This place is amazing. On my salary, I can only dream of ever living in a place like this.”
“Money’s really not an issue for me and having known Ristéard, I find it difficult to believe it is for you.”
“Ah, yes. He did leave an inheritance, but I like staying busy and you never know what the future holds. I may need that money when I'm old and decrepit.”
“Smart.”
“You must make pretty good money as a private investigator.”
“Well, I get paid very well for what I do.”
“You were gone a long time today. I was beginning to get worried. Did you find any clues?”
He glanced at her eyes, a mix of confusion and concern. “You have beautiful eyes. The way the golden specks sparkle against the brown is fascinating.”
He turned to face her and stared deeper into those eyes, tried to read her emotions, but for a moment became lost in their rich honey swirl and his concentration mired in their spell.
“Cael?”
He blinked.
“Ah ... yeah. No need to worry about me. I went to the farm where they found the body, discovered some blood samples and part of a broken beer bottle. I took them to the Sectory, the Sectorium’s headquarters.”
“The Sectory?”
“Yes, it has a laboratory. I thought it would be better if I took the samples there instead of turning them over to the local authorities. You never know who you can trust.”
He smiled, and took her hand to help her down the path and onto the sand
. It was freezing, but at the end of the path, they took off their shoes and socks and walked through the sand in their bare feet.
“I told you I belong to a secret society called the Sectorium and it’s made up of people like you and me. You know, people with special abilities. The Sectory has become sort of a sanctuary for us—a place where we’re safe from the burdens of our gifts. Sometimes we need seclusion. Not many of us actually live there. As of now, there are ten of us, including you, known to the society. It’s difficult to say how many others like us there are in the world. I can tell you this, powers are continuously developing and changing, and there is really no way to predict what type of gift someone might acquire. Hell, there could be hundreds of people out there with abilities, not associated with the organization. There’s no way of knowing how many there are. Ristéard had more powers than anyone we’re aware of and he fought hard to protect our secret.”
“He did?” She swiped the windblown hair from her face.
“Yes, he did. Anyway, a long time ago, in the fifteenth century to be exact, a man named Colluthus started the society we call the Sectorium upon discovering there were other beings like him. They needed to go into hiding when several townspeople accused his best friend and confidante of devil worship after he used his abilities to save a small girl from dying after a runaway cart hit her. Even though what he did was a selfless act, the townspeople had him burned to death because they feared him. Colluthus realized the world wasn’t ready—and possibly never would be—to accept our kind. So, he set up the Sectorium, and ensured they would always have a safe haven—known as the Sectory—for people with extraordinary abilities, a place where they could live without ridicule. Discrimination is a horrible reality. People are afraid of what they don’t understand.
“You were smart to keep your abilities to yourself until you were sure you trusted me. There are always those, with or without abilities, hell bent on destroying us, which keeps me busy.”
“This is all so unbelievable.” Addison stopped to roll up her pants as they got closer to the water and Cael did the same.
“There's an ancient journal containing all the secrets of our people including the teachings of Colluthus. Certain passages he wrote, when used along with a special crystal, create a force powerful enough to pull all our abilities together, creating a modification of our consciousnesses. Perhaps one day the book could help people to understand and accept us.”
“Accepting us would be a good thing, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, but not quite yet, and not in the way this monster would attempt it. Eidolon used to be a member of the Sectorium. Perhaps evil-twisted-psychopath would be a better way to describe him. He wants the journal and crystal so he can use them together with his powers to control those of us who have abilities. He could steal our abilities with the right phrase, if he had the crystal.”
“Wait. This sounds really similar to that creepy story old Bart told me the other day.”
“Old Bart?”
“Yeah, the older man you were talking to outside the Bar and Grill the first night you came in. Well, he’s not really old—he just refers to himself as old Bart, so that's what we all call him. I believe he thinks it’s funny, like old fart, which he also calls himself from time to time.”
“Oh, you mean Bartholomew Calloon? Yes, he’s quite a character.”
“So you know him.”
“Yes, I know him.” He chuckled.
“I may not have your acute senses, but there’s something about old Bart you’re not telling me.”
“Old Bart, as you call him, is my uncle, my mother’s twin brother to be precise.” He smiled, unable to hide his pride.
“You’ve got to be kidding. He’s your uncle? Ha, then he knows everything, right?” She slapped her hand down against her thigh. “I can’t believe it, I thought he was just making it up—well some of it I’m sure he made up—but the core of what he said was true, right? So ... your uncle. Well, now that you mention it, there is a certain amount of family resemblance there. God, he certainly is reticent about it. What’s the matter, doesn’t he like to admit he’s related to you?”
“Hmmm ... well, I’ll have to ask him about that. But most likely, it’s because he’s very protective of our secret. He wishes the gene had passed to him and not my mother, but as I said, it only gets inherited by a child of the opposite sex.”
“Do you think my aunt knows?”
“Possibly. I should be able to sense whether or not she does. Maybe you could arrange a meeting.”
“Actually, I’m supposed to go over there for dinner soon and you can come. I know for a fact Gerry will be thrilled when he finds out you’re coming. He actually told my aunt about you, which surprised the heck out of me. She’s already asked me to invite you and Gerry will be glad to have another man around during what usually ends up as a female-dominated conversation.”
The waves swirled up as they walked, and the cold foam splashed over their feet. Addison jumped against Cael, almost knocking him over, and they clung to one another laughing.
“Whoa, shit! Damn, that’s cold,” Cael said.
“Getting back to this journal and why my father was killed ...”
“Right. I think Eidolon believes he can harness the combined strength of our powers, to control the consciousness of humanity. What he doesn’t realize is any rapid alteration of human consciousness is hard to achieve and humankind wouldn’t surrender to it easily. He’s not the first, and unfortunately, he won’t be the last to attempt to destroy us. For centuries, we’ve fought hard to keep our secrets from the world. If people today knew of our abilities, they wouldn’t see us as romantic superheroes from comic books, movies and television shows. We would be more feared than understood. It’s human nature for people to fear what they don’t understand and to fight against what they perceive as evil. They would consider us dangerous, forcing many of us to endure scientific laboratories, ridicule, and even death. Even though someday humankind will find our powers valuable and recognize their greater purpose, for now they must remain a secret.”
“What about the book and why does he think I have it?”
“The journal contains not only our secrets but also our salvation. They were in your father’s possession when he was murdered. Well, I don’t mean in his hands at the time, but he had custody of them. I’ve never actually seen the book or the crystal—only those old photographs you saw—we need to find both before Eidolon does. He will stop at nothing to get them. Monsters such as Eidolon make it difficult for normal people to accept us.”
“I don’t get it. If you know who this psycho is, why don’t you just go after him?”
“Because I don’t know what he looks like. His abilities are preventing me from knowing who or what he is. He may be a shape-shifter or have some other ability. I just haven’t figured it out yet. Even if Eidolon stood right here, in his true form, I wouldn’t know him. No one has seen the guy in thirty years. We can speculate about what he might look like with aging composites, but with all the technology available today, he could have had procedures done to alter his appearance. We just don’t know.”
“This is all very frightening. How will we ever catch him?”
“I’m working on it, and we will catch him.” He was pleased that Addison seemed to be accepting everything he told her and even included herself in the quest to catch Eidolon. Cael only hoped he sounded more convincing to her than he felt, because deep down he was very afraid for her.
Chapter 18
The sky became a palette of purple and orange hues, all swirled together through the haze as the sun set over the horizon. As they headed back toward the house, they stopped to admire the miraculous view.
“It’s so magnificent. It’s hard to imagine there could be something so evil in the world.”
Addison turned to face Cael.
“You’re freezing. We should get back inside.” His voice was husky and he cleared his throat as he rubbed his hands up
and down her arms.
She reached her hands up to his face and gently pulled him to her, his lips covering hers as she pressed her body against his. Her mouth was warm and accepting. He held her close, the irresistible rise of passion stirring inside and he knew she could feel his excitement. His hand slipped inside her jacket and cupped her breast.
Forgetting everything except her, he wanted her with a fierceness he had never experienced before. She moaned softly as she tangled her fingers in his hair while his tongue glided down her neck. She shivered as he kissed her softly.
“God, you smell delicious,” he said, pulling her jacket aside as his lips and tongue skimmed down her collarbone. “Addison, I want you so much.” He brought his face back up, covering her mouth with his. As he tasted her, he sensed her soul, the intensity so arousing he was losing control. Forcing himself to stop, he lingered at the spot under her earlobe.
“Not here.” His voice was husky, his breath ragged. “Let’s go back to the house before we have an X-rated scene on the beach.”
They’d barely made it in the house before he was pulling her to him again, covering her with more hot kisses. As they struggled to get their jackets off, Addison’s hand slipped and hit his gun. “Here, wait.” He unbuckled the holster and let it fall to the floor. They tugged at each other’s clothes with an uncontrollable frenzy. She unbuttoned his shirt, and he shrugged it off and onto the floor. His mouth came down on hers hard and she wrapped her arms around his waist, her fingers pressing into his back. He tugged her top up and she lifted her arms as he pulled her blouse over her head without even unbuttoning it.
He kissed her neck, brushing fluttering little kisses down to her shoulder. “God, Addison, you’re doing some major damage to my self-control. Since I first laid eyes on you, I’ve dreamed of this. You’re so sexy. I can’t keep my hands off you.”
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