The Defender (The Elkavians Book 1)

by S. H. Magillian

  He got closer to her. “I’ll be wherever you are.” He gently caressed her hair.

  “I must go.” She turned around and started walking back to Adam’s car. In a minute, she had repeated to herself a million times that she could not fall for Ethan. She had no idea how she would do that though. She stopped walking and looked at him. “Thanks for saving me earlier. Again,” she gave him a shy smile.

  “My pleasure,” he said with a lopsided smile.

  Alexis got in the car and went to Adam’s. It was almost one. Anna would be there any minute. She wondered if Ethan heard everything they talked. She would have to be more careful if she wanted to protect her mother from exposing herself too much for a stranger. After all, that was what he was, a stranger. She tried to take her mind off him and concentrate on what she would tell Adam about the venue. She had taken her drafts for him to take a look. She parked the car and walked to Adam’s office. He was not there.

  “Hi, Alexis,” said Abbie, a nurse who worked with Adam.

  “Hey, Abbie. Have you seen Adam?” she asked politely. Abbie had always been very pleasant, and Alexis liked her.

  “He went out with Denise. I think they went to the real estate to take some of her documents.”

  “Oh, that makes sense. I’ll leave something on his desk. It’s just a draft.”

  “Sure. I’ll let him know. See you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks. See ya,” Alexis beamed. She was glad that Adam was absent. She could use some free time to ponder on everything Ethan had told her. She sat on the porch, sure that he was somewhere out there. She didn’t care anymore. Apparently, he knew more about her than she did. A tear ran down her face. If everything he had said was true, she wouldn’t be able to have a normal life. She wouldn’t go to college, she wouldn’t get married, probably she wouldn’t even be able to graduate from high school. And if one day she had a baby, he would have the same fate as her. On the other hand, if she didn’t have kids, the amulet would be unprotected after she died. Why wouldn’t her father tell her any of that? It would have been so much better to have known those things through him. Now she was consumed by insecurity, fear, ignorance, doubt; and Ethan was all she got. Hopefully, he was not trying to deceive her.

  It didn’t take Anna long to arrive. They went home without saying much to each other. Alexis was not in the mood to start a conversation and apparently neither was her mother.

  “Are you meeting Morgan tonight?” she asked curiously.

  “I haven’t talked to him yet,” said Anna in a low voice. She didn’t want Alexis to think she was weak, but only she knew how strong she had to be to talk to Morgan about the past. It would take a lot from her to be alone with him in her house.

  “Well, I’m going to Mia’s. Call him, mom.” Alexis was surprised at the way those words came out of her mouth. She was bossy. Maybe it was residual bitterness from her conversation with Ethan. She was going to apologize, but Anna didn’t seem bothered. When they got home, Alexis went to her bedroom. She would give her mother the privacy she needed to call Morgan.

  Anna grabbed the phone. That would be a tough call. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. There was still time for her to give up. Alexis was right though. She could not spend the rest of her life wondering what he would have said to her if they had met, wondering why things hadn’t worked between them, why he had left her. She deserved to know. She dialed, slowly. When Andrea answered, Anna almost hung up. She was too nervous. She tried to calm herself down as she spoke. Andrea transferred the call.

  “Hi, Anna,” said Morgan with enthusiasm.

  “Hey,” she tried to sound casual. “I was wondering if you’d like to come over tonight.” She took her right hand to her forehead. She had killed casualness.

  “I’d love that. Seven?”

  Hearing his voice on the phone took her to places she would like to forget existed. “Perfect. See you then,” she hurried to hang up. “Prick,” she said out loud. She would be better off focusing on hating him instead of allowing any stupid feeling that she had suppressed for almost two decades to emerge.

  “Can you take me?” asked Alexis, appearing unexpectedly in the kitchen.

  “Gosh! You startled me. Geez. Yes. I’ll take you,” said Anna harshly. She got her car key. “Let’s go.”

  “I’m sorry, mom. It was not my intention. Did you call him?”

  “Yes. We will talk tonight. He’s coming here.” She looked at Alexis. She expected some reaction from her.

  Alexis smiled. “That’s great, mom. I hope he’s able to make amends for whatever he has done to you. Life is too short. Try to forgive. It is not worth to hold a grudge for so long,” said Alexis sincerely. The past events had given her a much better understanding of how fragile life was.

  “We’ll see, but I don’t think he wants to apologize, Al. Maybe he will ignore our past and talk about you. Who knows?”

  “You’ll find out in a few hours. I’ll find out tomorrow. Anyway, good luck. Be nice. Now, let’s go.” Alexis left the house and looked around. She hoped to see Ethan, but he was nowhere to be seen as usual. Mia’s house was about ten minutes from hers, and Alexis spent those minutes thinking about Ethan. The more she tried to push him away, the more she was drawn to him. She had to find a way of having more time with him or else it would take them forever to unleash her skills. A thousand ideas crossed her mind, but only one made her smile. Things were about to change for better.

  VI

  Anna went through all the details a million times. She organized and reorganized the table, the silverware, the glasses. She changed clothes at least a dozen times, still unsure whether wearing jeans and a blouse was the best choice. A dress seemed too much. After all, it was not a date. It was a conversation. Dressing up would give him the wrong idea. She didn’t want that. Jeans and a blouse, she had made up her mind.

  She walked from one side of the living room to the other, back and forth, several times, impatiently waiting for Morgan to arrive. When the bell rang, she found herself unable to move. She didn’t even remember the last time she had been that nervous. Repeating to herself that all she felt for him was hatred was not helping her as much as she would like it to.

  Morgan didn’t ring the doorbell again. He wondered if she was as anxious as he was. He had waited too long for that moment. Almost two decades being a mere observer of her life. He looked at the window. The lights were on in the living room. She was home. She would answer, eventually. He was about to ring the doorbell again when she opened the door. She was gorgeous. He swallowed hard.

  “Good evening, Anna,” he said gently.

  “Hey. Come in.” She was intoxicated by his presence. She would have to control herself. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “What about that bottle of wine?” he smiled.

  “Of course.” He followed her to the kitchen; she had set the table. “I made you Tomato-Basil Lasagna with Prosciutto. Still your favorite?” she asked cheerfully, forgetting for a moment everything he had put her through.

  “Yes.” He got closer to her, incredulous that she still remembered what his favorite dish was. She was holding the bottle of wine. “Let me open it.” His hand touched hers. His eyes were fixed on hers. There was no objection in the way she looked at him. He could lose himself in her blue eyes without any need of rescue.

  “Let me get the glasses.” She went to the dining room. It was hard to believe that after everything she had been through not only with him, but in life, her feelings for him remained unchanged. She felt as if she were 17 years old again.

  “Glasses?” he asked walking into the dining room.

  “Here.” She pointed to the glasses on the table. “Why don’t you have a seat? I’ll get the lasagna.”

  “Let me help you,” he said sweetly.

  “I’m fine. Please, Morgan, have a seat,” she insisted. She didn’t want him following her around. She needed some seconds without him to pull herself back together. She got the la
sagna and put it on the table.

  “It smells great,” he said earnestly.

  “I hope it tastes even better,” she beamed.

  “I’m sure it will.” As she was clearly waiting for him to try it, he sampled it. “Amazing.” She smiled and bit her lips. He desired her more than ever.

  “I’m glad you liked it. The wine is fantastic too. Thanks for the bottle,” she smiled sensually.

  “Anna… I’m not sure we will be able to talk if you continue looking at me like that. You always knew how to make me forget about everything else. You haven’t lost that,” he said lasciviously.

  “That didn’t stop you from leaving me, did it?” she asked bitterly.

  He frowned. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me, Morgan. You can’t come here and pretend nothing happened. You sent me a letter. A letter,” she said enraged. “You didn’t even have the decency of talking to me face-to-face.”

  “What are you talking about? What letter? I didn’t leave you. Don’t put this on me,” he said sharply.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” She abruptly got up and went to the living room. “Here!” She threw a letter at him.

  Morgan was speechless. He recognized his handwriting, but he hadn’t written it. “I… I didn’t write this, Anna. I didn’t show up that night because you called me to say it was over. You said you were in love with Scott. You said that what we had meant nothing to you and that if I cared about you, I would leave you alone.” A tear ran down his face. “I couldn’t leave you alone, so I took my father’s car and drove to your house, but you had left with Scott. You went to prom with him,” he said resentfully.

  “Because you had broken up with me! I didn’t call you. How dare you make up a story to blame me for your actions!” she shouted.

  “I would never leave you, Anna. I didn’t write this.” He got up and walked to her. “I know evidence is against me. While you have a letter signed by me, I cannot prove you called me. You need to believe I’m telling you the truth,” he begged. “All I got is my word.”

  “Maybe now you know how Alexis feel. Sometimes, one’s word is not enough,” she rejoined, tears wet her face. “Please, leave.” She looked away. Facing him had become unbearable.

  “I’m guilty of not having fought for you. You can blame me for that, but I’ll prove you I never left you. Look at me, Anna,” he said firmly. It was devastating to see so much pain in her eyes. “I have always loved you. There has been no one else but you.” He held her face and leaned forward. “I love you,” he whispered, caressing her hair. As she had neither deviated her eyes from his nor given any sign of rejection, he passionately kissed her lips. He was complete. She was everything he needed.

  She pushed him. “Leave,” she said.

  “Anna,” he pleaded.

  “Now.” She walked to the door and opened it. He stopped in front of her. She knew he was hurt, but so was she. He would have to fight for her if he wanted her to forgive him not only for leaving her but also for lying.

  “I’m not giving up on us. Not again,” he said determinedly. More tears ran down her face. He left with the letter in his pocket. He would do anything and everything to prove that he had not written it. He got in his car and hit the steering wheel several times. They had lost almost twenty years because of a setup. So much suffering for nothing. He was to blame too. He could have done things differently. He could have confronted her, but no, he hid instead. He became reclusive to avoid seeing her with Scott. If only he had been stronger. It was too late for regrets. Despite Scott being the only one benefiting with their breakup, other people wanted to see them apart. The letter was his starting point.

  Anna sat on the floor and cried helplessly. The fact that he claimed to love her still was the most meaningful and at the same time the most heartbreaking thing that had happened that evening. She didn’t know what to do. She had never taken him for a liar yet he had come up with a crazy story to put all the blame on her. On top of that, he had denied writing the letter. She was sure it was his handwriting. He had recognized it too which made things even more confusing. He could have said that they were completely different, but he didn’t. She questioned herself whether something that had happened so long ago should still matter that much. All she wanted was to love him. Nothing else. She got the phone and called the station. Fortunately, Andrea agreed to give her Morgan's cell phone number.

  Morgan pulled over to answer the phone. Hopefully, it was not an emergency. He was not in the condition to deal with other people’s problems. “Hello,” he said sharply.

  “Come back,” she said sobbing.

  She wouldn’t have to ask twice. He drove back to her as fast as he could, ignoring the speed limit. When he arrived, she opened the door before he reached the doorbell. She threw herself into his arms and kissed him.

  “Sh. Don’t say anything,” she ordered. She pulled him inside the house, closed the door, pushed him against a wall and kissed him again, her hands slowly taking his coat off. They had waited too long for that moment; she didn’t want to procrastinate it any longer.

  His fingers ran through her hair, softly pulling her head back a little. “Alexis?”

  “We’re alone. She’s not coming back tonight.” She grabbed his hand and took him to her room. She took his shirt off and ran her hands down his chest. He was fit, strong. His dark green eyes were filled with love. He belonged to her.

  He bit her earlobe and nibbled her neck making her moan. He kneeled and took her sneakers off. Still on his knees, he unbuttoned her jeans while licking below her bellybutton. She grabbed his hair and whispered his name. He looked at her and took her jeans off without looking away. He kissed her leg all the way up from her ankle to her stomach, his hands caressing the back of her legs as he went up. He took her blouse off and kissed her neck. “I love you,” he murmured in her ear.

  She looked into his eyes. “I love you too,” she said sweetly. Letting those words come out gave her freedom. She could finally surrender to him.

  Mia was super excited to have Alexis for a sleepover. It had been a while since the last time they had spent so much time together. They used to spend the weekend at each other’s house a lot when Scott was alive. After he died, Alexis became quieter and more lonesome. “So, what about pizza and a movie? Then we could play a game. My parents are up for Pictionary!!!” Mia was so enthusiastic that she was nearly shouting.

  “That sounds great,” said Alexis laughing. It felt good to be at Mia’s house. Alexis loved her house and her parents. They had always been very nice to her. “What are we watching?” she asked, thrilled.

  “Ha ha!” said Mia joyfully. Alexis’s eyes were wide open. “Labyrinth!”

  “Uh… I… uh… not fantasy, please.”

  Mia was taken by surprise. Alexis loved that movie. They had watched it many times together. They always had a blast. “Er… I don’t know then.”

  “What about The Expendables 3? We loved the first two. They were fun.”

  “Yeah, they were. It’s just that… we always watch fantasy in our sleepovers. It’s a tradition.”

  “It’s good to change a bit. We can still have pizza though,” Alexis winked.

  “Not everything is lost,” beamed Mia.

  Going to Mia’s house was a wise decision. Alexis didn’t recall the last time she had had such a fun evening. They watched the movie, laughed, ate pizza, played Pictionary and to end the night, Mia and Alexis spent about three hours talking about life, school, and Ethan who was still called “the man with the sword” by Mia. Alexis didn’t tell her that she had met him because Mia wouldn’t believe a word he had said, and she would probably tell Anna about it. Not because she was not a good friend, but because she would be deadly worried about Alexis’s safety. Alexis couldn’t blame her; she would most likely do the same if she were in Mia's shoes.

  When Mia fell asleep, Alexis walked to the window. She could wait until tomorrow night to talk to Ethan, but the sooner she t
old him about her plan, the better. She didn’t want to leave the house though; she feared being attacked by an Oren. She opened the window and whispered, “Ethan”. Things would be much easier if she had gotten his cell phone number. She looked down and snorted. It was ridiculous that neither of them had thought of that. When she looked back to the yard, there was Ethan, standing in the middle of the darkness. She pointed to the back door. She saw him shake his head. She pointed again and left the room, this time not giving him the opportunity to object. As she quietly went down the stairs, she wondered if Ethan didn’t sleep. He was always there when she needed, standing guard. She opened the back door.

  “This is too risky,” he reprimanded.

  “I know, and I’m tired of it,” she snarled. He raised his eyebrows. “We need to spend time together, right?” He nodded. “We cannot do that properly if we have to hide all the time.”

  “What are you trying to get at?” he asked curiously.

  “You’re too old to join school, right?” she asked sarcastically.

  “I’m not!” he exclaimed indignantly.

  “Really? How old are you?” she asked defiantly.

  “I’m twenty-four,” he murmured. She smiled, full of herself. “Did you believe that? Geez. I’m twenty, but one can easily believe that I’m eighteen. Don’t you think?”

  “Not really,” she teased. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “You are cruel,” he said lightheartedly. “We’re gonna get caught if we stay here much longer,” he said worriedly.

  “Well, you can either join school or volunteer at Adam’s. Anyway, you must move to town. People need to see you.”

  “What then?” He liked where that conversation was going.

  “We can become friends,” she said calmly. He gave her his usual lopsided smile which she found extremely sexy. He obviously had something else in mind.

  “I don’t think that would justify the amount of time we need to spend together,” he said lasciviously.