Best of Intentions

by Michelle Cary

  “I sat down on the couch in the doctor’s lounge to rest. Only I must have fallen asleep, and I assumed I was dreaming. It was as if I was in somebody else’s body. I watched this person, whoever it was, give him an injection of Phenobarbital. When I woke up, the code blue call was made and I followed the doctors in here.”

  Devin considered her words carefully, paying close attention to the details she described. She paused for a second and gripped his hand between hers.

  “I don’t know why, but somehow I know it was real, Devin. Travis was murdered.”

  He shook his head. “This is beyond anything I’ve experienced. I have had visions in my sleep, Tessa, but nothing quite as vivid and never through somebody else’s eyes. Usually they’re simply a flash here or there, sparked by a certain smell or sound, just enough to give me a hint of what’s going to happen, but never in so much detail.”

  “You said you haven’t had any visions since the accident. Is it possible we still have some sort of connection and you’ve somehow transferred your abilities to me?”

  He searched his memory. “We’ll always have the connection, Tessa, but I don’t see how I could give you my powers.”

  In everything he’d learned about precognition and ESP, he couldn’t remember ever reading about transferring the power to someone else. Still, his grandfather had been the one who’d taught him how to create the connection to another. The link he’d generated with Tess when they were only sixteen gave them the ability to not only feel each other’s emotions and pain, but also be able to read each other’s thoughts. Over the years the bridge had waned, yet on some level it still existed. He could feel it. Maybe because of their link the ability to transfer power was possible.

  “What about the ritual we did together when we were young?” she asked.

  “Maybe. Honestly, Tessa I don’t know. I wish my Grandfather were still alive so I could ask him. All I can tell you is to document everything and be careful whom you tell. If you are having visions, I don’t want you ending up a suspect, or worse yet, a target.”

  “Do you remember Eric Parker?”

  Devin nodded. “He was an old friend of mine from high school.”

  “He’s also my ex-husband and a detective for the Mechanicsburg PD. He knows about us, about our connection. I think I’d be safe in telling him.”

  “I don’t know, Tessa. You’ll have to use your own judgment on that, but whatever you decide, please be careful.”

  “I will.” She squeezed his hand. “I promised Eric I’d go home to get some rest. Are you going to be okay if I leave?”

  Devin reflected on his life with Travis and how he’d never get to see his friend again. It was one more person gone from his life.

  Forever.

  “I’ll be fine. You go home.”

  Chapter Five

  Tess tossed and turned, twisting the covers on her bed this way and that. How was she supposed to sleep when every time she closed her eyes all she saw was the day’s earlier events?

  Blowing out a frustrated sigh, she threw the covers off her and sulked toward the bathroom. Maybe a hot bath and a glass of wine was what she needed to relax. She removed the bottle of sweet pea scented bubble bath from beneath the sink and set the taps. Quickly she headed downstairs to pour herself a glass of red wine. As she fumbled through the cabinets looking for her favorite wine glass she stumbled across a small bottle stored at the back of the top shelf. Her fingers wrapped around the container and she held it in the light. It had been years since she’d been tempted to invoke the visions which would allow her to connect with Devin. Now as she held the tiny bottle of belladonna in her hand, her subconscious waged war with her desire. Hell, she wasn’t even sure the ingredients were still good or if she would even remember how to use it.

  Tess set the container on the counter and moved to retrieve a bottle of wine from the rack in the corner of the room. She poured herself a glass, then without giving herself time to think about it, she plucked the dropper from the top of the bottle and placed two drops of the concentration into the red liquid.

  Careful to return the bottle to its original hiding place, she then picked up her glass and went back up to the bathroom. She shut off the taps and set the glass on the ledge above the tub.

  Candles! How could she forget she would need the candles? Had she remembered nothing he taught her? Tess scurried across the hall to her room and extracted the container from the bottom of the closet. Inside she found the white pillar candles still attached to their bases and a small jewelry box. She lifted the box out of the container and sat back on her heels. She’d completely forgotten about the necklace. Slowly, Tess removed the lid and set her gaze upon the stone inside. Even without removing it from the safety of the box, she could feel the amulets power radiating toward her.

  When she thought she’d finally managed to put Devin behind her, she removed the necklace and placed it in the box, unwilling to rid herself of it completely. It was only after she’d packed away the very things that kept them linked that she finally felt their connection begin to wane. She’d been sad to let it happen, yet she knew she’d never be happy as long as she stayed joined to him.

  Five years later, it didn’t surprise her to realize she still wasn’t happy. With shaky hands, she removed the necklace from the safety of its home and fastened it around her neck. She let out a gasp as a feeling of ardor flooded her body from the inside out, then picked up the candles and incense stick and headed back to the bathroom.

  She lit the candles and incense, then switched off the light and stripped out of her clothes. Once her hair was up and out of the way, she picked up the glass of wine and stepped into the tub. The water rippled around her legs and splashed against the porcelain as she settled beneath the bubbles. She sipped the wine, leaned back and closed her eyes; her mind immediately began to wander. She thought about Eric; and how hard he'd worked to give her the life she always wanted. It wasn’t his fault he wasn’t Devin. If she were being completely honest with herself, she should have never said yes to his proposal in the first place. Still, in her defense, she’d been a lot younger and desperate for the ‘real life’ Eric promised.

  Her next sip of wine was more akin to a gulp and she sank further into the water, relishing in the relaxed feeling slowly infiltrating her muscles. Would it really be so bad to fall asleep right here in the water? Besides looking like a Shar-Pei when she finally climbed from the tub, was there actually any harm?

  Her head tilted to one side as she set the wine glass back on the small shelf above her and she stared blankly at the candle atop the counter. The flame danced and twisted, enticing her to come closer. Though she never stirred, it moved toward her. Her lips parted slightly on a gasp when a nearly transparent picture began to form behind the flame. It grew more opaque with each breath and continued to come closer, engulfing the room around her until she was completely ensconced within the image.

  Devin stood next to a Japanese style bed, a smile plastered across his handsome face. “I hoped you’d come back.” He extended a hand for her to take. She wrapped her fingers around his and he slowly tugged her to him. “I missed you, Tessa.”

  “I missed you too,” she whispered back as she leaned her head against his shoulder. His muscles flexed beneath her while the musky scent of cologne and man filled her senses. She looked up at him, studying the slight jut of his chin and sloping angle of his jaw. A light layer of stubble served to soften the line, giving him more of the boyish quality she remembered from when they were younger. He angled his head and looked down at her. His dark, puppy dog brown eyes glowed with a happiness she hadn’t seen before. “You are more beautiful than I remember.”

  She smiled. “You act like you haven’t seen me in years, Devin. I know what you’re capable of and you can’t tell me you haven’t been curious and checked up on me sometime in the last decade.”

  He pushed her to arms length and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Actually, when you stopped
wearing the amulet you locked me out. I haven’t seen you since you stopped wearing the necklace and now with me being blind, I could only hope you’d reopen our connection so I could see you again.”

  Blind? Her heart beat faster. “So this isn’t some weird dream induced by the belladonna?”

  He shook his head and smiled. “No, baby. Like I always told you, the necklace is the gateway between us. The belladonna you ingested only helps to keep your mind clear and open to the experience. This moment is as real as anything you’ve ever experienced.”

  She touched a hand to his face. His skin was warm beneath her palm and the feel of his five o’clock shadow prickled against her fingertips. “But you’re not wearing your amulet. It’s locked away with your other personal items at the hospital, so how are you here?”

  He removed her hand from his face and planted a kiss in the middle of her palm, sending a flood of desire racing up her arm. “You’ve forgotten about my telekinetic abilities. It’s not easy to manipulate time and space without the amulet, but not impossible. I’m using a lot of my own energy to maintain the connection.”

  Her smile immediately faded. “But you need all your energy to recover, Devin. You need to go back before you hurt yourself. We don’t have to do this now.”

  “Like hell I will.” He dragged her tight against him. His long arms wrapped around her, encompassing her within his possessive embrace. “I’ve waited a long time to have you in my arms again, honey, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you go that easily.”

  Before she had time to think, his mouth came down over hers, covering her moan while he kissed her with the passion of a million lifetimes.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, laced her fingers through his shoulder length hair, and leaned into him, feeling the proof of his desire rubbing against her belly. What they were doing was wrong and she needed to stop it before the situation grew completely out of control. “Devin,” she murmured between kisses.

  “Yes, a Ghrá.”

  Her heart jump upon hearing his spoken endearment and all reason fluttered away. She’d always been a sucker for his Irish accent, but when he spoke to her in Gaelic she practically melted into a puddle. “Never mind.”

  “Let me inside you, Tessa. Let me have you the way no other man can.”

  Knowing if she did, it would only strengthen their tie to each other, making it that much harder on her when he left, she hedged. “I don’t know.”

  He brushed a knuckle along her cheek. “Have you also forgotten when you’re in this state I know everything you’re thinking? I promise, on my father’s grave I’m not going to hurt you again. I still regret I did it the first time. Fate brought us back together, Tessa. I’m not stupid enough to ignore that fact. I want to stay and make a life with you, if you’re willing to give me another chance.”

  There was sincerity in his words and love radiating from eyes. He meant everything he said; still she couldn’t help but worry about his other life. “What about your career, Devin? Even with the others gone, you’re still here and you’re famous. Are you willing to walk away from everything you’ve worked so hard for to be with me?”

  “Yes.”

  She blinked, and her jaw dropped open as she shot him an exasperated look. “That’s it? You’re so certain that you’re willing to put it all into a simple yes?”

  “I love you, Tessa and that’s the only thing that matters.”

  More than anything, she wanted to believe him, to give into her desire and launch herself at him with everything she had to offer. Still, doubts lingered.

  He leaned into her and gently mouthed the soft flesh below her ear. “I know you’re worried and after what I did you have every right to be. Let me prove it to you. Give me a chance to earn back your trust, a chumann.”

  Her knees buckled as his warm breath wafted across her ear. With what seemed like little effort, he picked her up and carried her to the bed, then followed her down onto the mattress, his kiss consuming her in a way no other man had ever been able to do. By its own volition, her body arched into him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Making love like this was nothing like anything she’d experienced. It was mind-blowing and could only be made better by a physical connection. With Devin still injured and her own doubts continuing to plague her, that certainly wasn’t going to happen any time soon, but for now she’d take what she could get.

  ****

  “I am not going back to California, so you might as well drop the subject, okay?” Frustration filtered through Devin as he stated his intentions for the third time. Moving from intensive care, where only family were allowed in, to intermediate care now gave representatives from the record company an opportunity to see him and talking to his manager, Eddie, was like having a conversation with a toddler. He simply didn’t listen.

  “Look, Devin, babe. I understand how you’re feeling right now. The rest of the band is gone and you’ve got that whole being blind thing to deal with. If it was me I’d probably be a little freaked out too.”

  “But it’s not happening to you, is it, Eddie? It’s happening to me and I’m not going to have you uproot me from here and trek me half way across the country so you can use my situation as some sick promotional opportunity.”

  “Ouch,” Eddie hissed. “That hurts, Devin. Do you really think I’d use your misfortune just to sell a few more albums?”

  Was he kidding? Edward Fairchild had been a record company appointed manager and Devin hated him from the moment they met. As far as he was concerned, Eddie was nothing more than an executive yes man, who, for the right opportunity, would sell out his own mother. “Do you really want me to answer?”

  In an attempt to relieve the pain signals his ribcage was sending, Devin shifted uncomfortably in the bed, fumbled for the controls and eased back the head of the mattress. After last nights mental escapade with Tess, he was almost too tired to argue with Eddie. Almost.

  The bed sank slightly and Devin could only assume Eddie had perched himself at the foot as he brushed up against his fractured leg. Devin held his breath and bit down into his lip in order to keep from yelling at the man for being such and insensitive clod. The man really couldn’t help it. Devin had learned a long time ago that Eddie’s gene in charge of his empathy traits either didn’t exist or was obviously damage.

  “I don’t think you’re capable of seeing the bigger picture here, Devin.” Eddie patted Devin’s good leg. “Yes, things are bad now. What happened to the rest of the band is a tragedy, but you’re still here, the lone survivor of one of the worst accidents to hit the music industry in the last twenty years. That’s huge. The band’s CDs are flying off the store shelves. You’re the most downloaded artist right now, and every television and radio station across the country is begging for an interview with you.”

  Devin shook his head in disbelieve. The man was indeed one twisted fuck. “Didn’t you say, not but two minutes ago, you weren’t going to capitalize on this?”

  “I’m not. You are.”

  Suddenly it all made sense. Early on, Devin had learned the music industry was nothing more than a heartless machine driven by egos and the all mighty dollar, yet somehow in his mind he believed this situation would be different. It was naive of him to think anybody at the record company actually cared about his condition. They were only concerned by what his situation could do for their bottom line. Well he wasn’t going to play their sick game.

  “No, Eddie. Absolutely not. The contract we signed was for the entire band, not one person. They’re gone and I’m done. I won’t demean their deaths by going on some freak show tour to satisfy the suits in California. I am not the band and this album was our last under this contract. We fulfilled our agreement to the best of our abilities, to the point where some of us in the end, sacrificed our lives. No more. You can tell your boss’s in LA I’m done.”

  “Look, Devin. You know I can’t do that. The contract is contingent upon the band completing this tour. You guys s
till had four months left. With the rest of them gone, that leaves you to fulfill the obligation in whatever manner we see fit.”

  Devin’s blood began to boil as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He ignored the pain screaming from his ribs and drew in a deep breath. For years, he’d put up with Eddie’s bullshit and he was through. No way was this two-bit executive yes boy going to boss him around. “First of all, I will not denigrate the memories of my friends by capitalizing on their deaths, and secondly I hope you rot in hell for even thinking of trying to make me do it. Tell the moguls in Cali to sue me if they want. I’ll see them in court.”

  “I think your head injury is worse than the doctor’s said. You can’t be serious.”

  “I’m completely serious, Eddie, so you can haul your ass out of this room before I call for security.”

  “You wouldn’t?”

  “If he doesn’t, I will.” Tess’s voice carried into the room and Devin did his best to hide the smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. She’d always been a bit of a hellcat when riled and he had no doubt she’d kick Eddie out on his ear in a heartbeat.

  “Who the hell are you?” Eddie asked and Devin wished more than anything he could see what was about to happen. Thanks to their connection last night, he could at least feel her presence, the turmoil of emotions churning inside her petite frame. Any second he was sure she’d come unglued. And wouldn’t that be a beautiful sight to see?

  “My name is Tess Parker, and I am Mr. McFadden’s nurse. Now as you so eloquently put it, who in the hell are you?”

  The bed rose and the pressure against Devin’s injured leg decreased as Eddie stood.

  “I am Devin’s tour manager, and I’ll ask you to not interrupt us.”

  “From what I caught of the conversation, Devin doesn’t want you here. So I suggest, Mr.?”

  “Fairchild, Edward Fairchild.”

  “Well, Mr. Fairchild, I’m going to once again ask you nicely to leave and let Mr. McFadden rest.”