Polar Heat

by Simone Beaudelaire

  Russell sent a burst of energy along the golden cord that connected them. Riley's fuzzy internal image grew brighter. A small halo formed around her belly.

  “Not too fast, son. You might choke her. A little trickle at a time.”

  “I know, Father,” Russell replied. “I wanted her to get a jump start.” He slowed the energy to a steady flow, strengthening her as best he could.

  The plane began its descent into Portland International Airport.

  * * *

  The energy Russell was feeding into Riley made her feel better, stronger, and less like a zombie. While Danny still kept her consciousness trapped in a dream igloo, she knew now how to break free… or at least how to try. And she would try. For herself. For Russell. For their daughter. I won't be mousy any more, baby girl, she told the seed of life within her belly. We'll get free. Riley shivered. Facing down the brother who had always terrorized her made her feel ill. But if anything happens to the baby because I'm too chicken, I'll never forgive myself. The thought of her tiny, helpless daughter galvanized Riley's resolve. When the time comes, I will protect her.

  * * *

  “Little sister,” Danny's threatening sing-song penetrated the walls of her icy mental prison. “Time to wake up now.”

  She shuddered and the image shattered, leaving her standing in her father's den. As in her dream, the room had been trashed. Tattered books lay on the floor. The door hung from only the lower hinges. Deep gouges marred the desk and the floor. Riley grieved to see the evidence of her brother's path of destruction through her father's beloved study.

  “Okay,” Danny drawled sarcastically, dragging Riley by means of a large hand clamped on her upper arm. “You say you don't know what I'm talking about? You say you aren't holding out on me? Then explain this!” He steered her toward a closet along the wall adjacent to the door and ripped it open. The accordion door slipped from its track and dangled limp beside them. Inside, below a row of tattered suit coats, sat a small plastic cube with a round dial of a combination lock set to one side of center.

  “See,” he said. “It's a safe. What was your old man hiding? People put valuables in safes. What's in there, Riley? Money? Jewelry? Guns?”

  Riley shuddered at the thought of a gun in Danny's hands. “Did you know my father at all? He'd never have a gun. I don't think he had money or jewels either. Look at it, Danny. It's humidity controlled. If you took me from my bed in the middle of the night for a box of cigars…”

  “Whatever. Just open it,” Danny snapped, yanking Riley forward.

  “How do you expect me to open it? I don't know the combination. I've never seen that safe before in my life.” She dug in her heels and resisted his pulling.

  “Liar,” he snapped. “Your father told you everything. You practically lived in this room.”

  “Yeah,” Riley sneered. “See that chair in the corner? I sat there reading a book. I didn't nose around in Dad's stuff. Besides, I was only here to get away from you.”

  Danny ground his teeth. “Open it.”

  “I'm telling you, Danny, you'd better take some of Dad's life insurance money and hire a locksmith. I don't know the combination.”

  The pressure in Riley's head increased until her ears were ringing.

  “The noise won't help you, Danny,” she shouted over the sound of a thousand bees, “I don't know the combination. If you torture me, threaten me, I still won't know the combination.”

  “And if I cut you up?”

  Riley's head was vibrating so badly she struggled to see. The room seemed fuzzy, as though she'd gone out of focus. But she was able to understand that her brother had pulled something out of his pocket and was waving it her direction.

  Knife, she realized, and her heart began to pound so hard, her chest hurt.

  “Where should I start? Your little finger? Or do you want an emergency C-section?” He indicated her belly.

  “Bastard,” Riley hissed. “You wouldn't dare.”

  “Little sister,” he murmured, his words almost getting lost in the hum that filled her brain, “do you honestly think there's anything I wouldn't dare to do? Now open it.”

  This is it, Riley. You won't get a second chance. Though she wanted to throw up from the tension, she drew in a deep breath. “You win, Danny. But you have to ease up the pressure. I can't see, let alone concentrate.”

  “Okay,” he said, suddenly sounding jovial. A pleasant smile crossed his face. Are you really that crazy, or are you just trying to freak me out? The pressure in her head eased. Though she could still feel him, her life force draining into the ugly black cord she could now almost see stretching from her back to his belly, she could move a little more freely. And Russell siphoned a continuous flow of energy into her to compensate for what Danny was taking. She walked right up to the safe and fell to her knees. As she had hoped, Danny knelt behind her, watching over her shoulder as she reached for the dial. His hold on her mind decreased. His head was now directly behind hers.

  Fast as she could, Riley threw her head backwards so the boney part of her skull smashed into Danny's nose. She drove her elbow, strengthened by one fist clutching the other, into his ribs. Bounding to her feet, she made a fast dash for the ruined office door.

  The cord, damn it, or he'll own you for life. Imagining a burning sword in her hand, something like an angel would carry, she chopped at the black tube that connected them, severing the connection. Then she ran like hell down the hallway and toward the front of the house. Got to get outside. Got to get to the neighbors'. Lord, please let them be home.

  The door seemed to appear out of nowhere, looming up in her face so she nearly crashed into it. Her breath wheezed in her heaving chest as she fumbled with the lock. Then an agonizing pressure on her scalp pulled her back.

  “No!” she screamed, clawing at the fingers tangled in her hair. “No, Danny, stop!” She twisted her shoulders from side to side.

  She could feel his sick consciousness slithering and oozing like an eel around the edges of her mind and realized she hadn't shielded herself. It was easy for him to plug in again. A pressure like nothing she'd experienced before threatened to rupture her eardrums. It felt as though she'd dived too deep under water. Riley grabbed her ears and screamed. The pain increased. Her eyeballs and temples throbbed. He's going to kill me. He's going to blow up my brain.

  Deep within her, life stirred, a flutter like a butterfly tickling her from the inside with minuscule digits. I have to live. I have to protect my baby.

  Without reflection, Riley let her consciousness slide along the cord into Danny's mind. As much time as she'd spent thinking in tandem with Russell, nothing could have prepared her for the mess she found in her brother. There were no smooth connections, no coherent flow of thought. Energy swelled and pooled like sewage around leaky pipes. His mind was a dark morass of decaying consciousness and rags of disjointed thoughts. Riley gagged. With all this junk in his head, it's no wonder Danny's more than half crazy. Distantly she became aware that her body was failing. Time was running out. It was Danny or her daughter, and she knew, without knowing how, what to do. The angel sword reappeared in her mental hand and she slashed and cut, breaking connections and severing off pieces of his mind from each other.

  Now it was Danny who screamed. Riley didn't stop. She chopped away at his mind, reducing it to ribbons, until Danny's hands fell limp from her hair. She withdrew and returned to full awareness, using the sword one last time to cut the cord between them and bind off her end. Then she wrapped herself in a bubble of protection. Once again she turned to the door, only to run straight into a solid mass, one that seemed to reach out and engulf her. Still shaken, her limbs weak and rubbery, she still fought to free herself.

  “Riley,” a soothing and familiar voice rumbled in hear ear. The clean, inviting scent of safety washed over her. In the aftermath of terror, she began trembling violently, melting into a boneless mass in Russell's arms.

  “I've got you, sweet girl. I've got you,�
�� he murmured as he slowly rocked her back and forth. Riley could feel people moving around her, and a dull roar of conversation rose and fell without her registering any of it. All she could feel, all she could focus on, was Russell's arms around her, holding her close.

  One of the bodies drew near and she tried to flinch, but couldn't.

  “What happened?” Russell's voice asked.

  “Her brother… he has been taken to the hospital,” another voice answered. Riley thought it might be Russell's father, but she couldn't tell for sure.

  “To… why?”

  “When we arrived, he was standing just down the hallway around the corner. Just standing there staring. Russell, she broke his mind.”

  Russell's hand circled on Riley's back. “She must have had a reason.”

  “I would say so. He had a knife in his hand.”

  “You wouldn't hold this against her, would you?”

  Norman – she was now certain Russell's father stood beside them – laughed, a dry and humorless chuckle. “Anyone who threatens the cub will be killed by the mother. Riley is not a violent woman, and yet he was covered in blood, his nose broken and his mind destroyed. If he incited so much rage from her, he certainly deserved what he received. But I hope in time she will let us help her get past it. This will not be easy for her.”

  “She risked her life and attacked a violent, dangerous man to protect our baby,” Russell pointed out. A warm touch on the top of her head seemed to be a kiss.

  “I know, son. We will talk more later. For now, hold her and soothe her. She needs you.”

  “Okay, Father,” Russell replied. “Come on, Riley. You need to sit down. You're shaking like a leaf.” He released his hold so he could walk her to the adjoining living room, but her legs gave way and darkness closed in on her. As she collapsed, she thought she heard Russell say, “Oh hell.” Then she passed out.

  Chapter 17

  Daylight filtered past Riley's closed eyelids, teasing her awake. She squeezed her eyes tighter shut and turned to her side with a protesting groan.

  “Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty,” Russell's voice murmured into her ear.

  Riley's eyes snapped open, and she groaned again as the light stung her eyes. “Where am I?”

  “I'm pretty sure this is the bedroom you grew up in,” Russell replied. “I looked into the rooms here and I figured you wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in what must have been your father's, so I brought you here. The cowboy posters were a dead giveaway.”

  “Oh God,” Riley moaned. “I decorated this room when I was fourteen and never changed it, okay?”

  “Defensive much?” Russ teased. “I kinda like sleeping with all these half-naked men staring at me – not! No wonder you were so eager to have sex, silly girl.”

  “Shut up,” she grumbled, burying her face in the pillow. “You weren't complaining.”

  “Nope,” Russ agreed, kissing the back of her neck. “No man would complain about the privilege of tutoring a beautiful, loving woman about sex.” His hand cupped her breast and his morning erection dug into her bottom.

  All of a sudden, the inappropriateness of the situation struck Riley. “Wait, what's happening? Why are we peacefully sleeping in this bed? Where the hell is Danny?”

  “Gone for good,” Russ replied. “He's been taken into custody, though I don't think he'll ever come to trial.”

  “What?” Riley couldn't follow what Russ was saying at all.

  “Riley, how much do you remember about yesterday?” he asked.

  She closed her eyes. “Do I have to?”

  “Yes. Don't block out reality, honey,” he urged.

  Sighing, Riley thought back. “Danny brought me here. There's a humidity controlled safe in my father's den. He thought I knew the combination, even though I've never seen the thing before. Instead of messing with it, I fought him. Cut the cord and tried to run, but he caught me. I think he tried to kill me using his mind. I don't know how else to describe it.” She swallowed hard against the nausea.

  “What did you do?” Russ asked, stroking her arm with his fingertips.

  “I followed the cord into his mind and… well, I don't exactly know. I imagined myself cutting him up with a sword. Did it work? Or did you guys arrive in the nick of time? I don't remember anything else.”

  “Yes,” Russ admitted. “It worked. You destroyed what was left of his sanity, Riley. He can never hurt you again. His best hope is to live out the rest of his existence in a hospital for the criminally insane. Father got a quick look and is pretty sure he'll never be able to take care of himself again, let alone bother anyone else. And don't tell anyone, but I think he may have severed whatever it is in Danny's mind that allows dreamwalking, just to be on the safe side. It's illegal, but under the circumstances, I don't think anyone would blame Father.”

  “I might as well have killed him,” Riley said softly, appalled at the horrific aftermath of her ordeal.

  “It's true,” Russell said. “But like killing someone in self-defense, what you did was justified. No one is angry at you, Riley. You were so brave. You protected yourself and our baby from him.”

  His hand had stopped groping her breast long since. Now he moved down to cup her belly. Again that small sensation fluttered inside her. Russ drew in a sharp breath. “Oh wow. Riley, honey… will you marry me?”

  Riley blinked. “I thought we already were married.” Then she thought for a moment. “Oh yeah, we are and we aren't, right?”

  “Right,” Russell agreed absently, still feeling the movement of their daughter under his hand.

  “Russell… do you think your father would do it?”

  “Do what? Marry us?”

  “Yes.”

  Russell kissed her temple. “Riley, I love you,” he said, and let her feel with him the joy her suggestion had caused.

  She turned to face him, looked into his beloved face. “I love you, Russell. I love you so much.”

  She drew his lips down to hers. Then she broke away, embarrassed. “I need to brush my teeth.”

  “Okay,” Russell agreed easily. “Do you think there are toothbrushes in here somewhere?”

  “Yes,” Riley nodded. “I always had extras on hand in case a friend slept over. I doubt Danny would have been interested.”

  Russ made a face. “He had a stink that wouldn't end. I'm sure you're right. Let's get cleaned up and dressed. Then we can figure out what to do next.”

  “Okay,” Riley agreed. Rising uncomfortably from the bed, she groaned. Every joint and muscle ached. She staggered down the hall into the bathroom where, sure enough, six toothbrushes waited in their packages. She ripped one open, added toothpaste from a tube that was probably expired, but still sealed, and shoved it into her mouth with a relieved sigh. Then she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair stuck out in all directions, she had pillow marks on her face, and her pajamas were dirty and crumpled. I have nothing with me but what I'm wearing. I wonder if I have any clothes left in the closet. I wonder if they'll fit over you, little girl. She stroked her belly while she brushed her teeth.

  Russell joined her and she indicated the medicine cabinet. As he brushed, she spat and returned to the bedroom, opening the closet and finding only one possibility – a flowered sundress with a stretchy top and loose skirt. It barely fit, and of course, she could find neither underwear nor bra to accommodate her changing shape. Shrugging, she pulled a button-up sweater onto her arms and stepped into bedroom slippers.

  Russell returned to the room. “Riley, honey, do you know an attorney?”

  “Yes. My father's best friend is one. He wrote Dad's will. Why?”

  “I think you need to contact him. Let him know what happened with Danny and try to get whatever it is you signed declared invalid so you can have your inheritance back. You could… you could come back here. Live in your family home.”

  Riley thought about it and then shook her head. “I couldn't. I have good memories here, but a lot of bad ones too. Esp
ecially now. Besides, Golden is my home. I love it there. I would neither leave you nor ask you to live so far from your family. I'd prefer to sell the place. Maybe another family can replace the bad energy with something more positive.”

  “So you're definitely coming home then?” he asked, sounding a bit vulnerable. She moved into his arms and pulled him down to complete the kiss they'd begun earlier.

  “Definitely,” she replied.

  For a long moment, the couple refrained from speaking, intent on reconnecting after their unplanned separation.

  The tight embrace eventually loosened to make room for hands to wander over and then under clothing. Russell tugged Riley's sweater off her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. Next the thick straps of her sundress surrendered to his fingers and he tugged the top down, baring her breasts.

  “Come on,” Riley urged, pulling him to the bed. He shucked his clothing before joining her. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts. “Touch me,” she urged.

  Russell claimed her lips again, gently molding the swollen globes in his hands, and then shifting so he could thumb her nipples.

  Riley sighed at the sweet stimulation as moisture surged between her thighs. I want him in me so bad. She arched her hips against him, her hands moving to his buttocks to press him closer.

  Russell groaned. “Easy, Riley.”

  “I want you,” she begged, releasing his bottom so she could grasp his penis, stroking it hard and fast.

  “Whoa, girl.” He grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head in one of his, rolling her onto her back and straddling her knees.

  “Russell…” she whimpered.

  “Hush, love. I was so worried for you. I'm going to feast on every inch of you, starting with these pretty breasts.”

  He lowered his head and caught one nipple between his teeth, lashing it with his tongue.

  Riley sighed with pleasure, then sighed again as he moved to the other side. She squirmed, but he held her fast, insisting she accept his caresses, preventing her from returning the favor.