Kalista was unconscious, exactly where he’d left her. Somehow, he had to clean everything before she woke up and freaked out.
“Probably with no memory of ever being
here.” He thumped his head against the wall. Needless to say, he instantly regretted it when an incredible aftershock of pain hammered his skull. A couple of lurching steps carried him over to where she rested. Easing himself down, Rhane gathered her into his arms. She stirred. He froze, relaxing only when she sighed and settled against him. “What brought you to this?” he whispered.
His bedroom was on the third level. He stood at the bottom of the stairwell, already swaying beneath his burden. Lacking confidence in his ability to safely navigate two flights of stairs, he switched directions, following the long corridor that led to a bedroom on the ground floor. He set her gently on the bed inside. Then he picked his way carefully back to ground zero.
Sheer will kept him upright. Rhane refused to collapse, even as every part of his body protested each step. An hour later, the blood was gone and the furniture put back in place. He dragged himself into the shower, letting water rain down on his back. It burned the wounds terribly, but eased his overall soreness. His tired mind was racing, reviewing every happening in the past five days, searching for what he’d missed.
Out of the shower, he dried off and found clean clothes. The cotton fibers grazed mangled flesh, making him wince as he eased into a shirt. He grabbed another towel and returned to Kalista. Rhane checked for damage as he cleaned her up. Her clothes couldn’t be saved. Too much blood. He had enough to explain.
Satisfied none of the blood was hers, he tossed the towel in a closet corner. Reserves spent, he was entirely exhausted. His knees buckled as he walked toward the bed, and he pitched forward onto the mattress. Half of his body made the landing. He used the last ounce of strength to pull himself up. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but he was too tired to care. Even before his eyes drooped shut, a deep sleep had covered him like a blanket.
#
Kali was very confused. Without looking, she knew the bed she sprawled in was too large and soft to be hers. Feeling around cautiously, she found no one beside her. So she stretched one leg to the opposite edge of the mattress. Nothing. She mulled the situation. The hunger, usually threading its constant presence in her subconscious, was gone. Never had she experienced such a complete absence of it. A buffet of life forces ran through her. Both body and spirit were invigorated. Kali knew someone had to be dead.
The revelation jolted her upright. She looked around the room. There was no corpse in either corner. She was really alone. Practically naked beneath the covers of an unfamiliar bed, she had no clue of how she had gotten there. As hard as she tried, her mind was unable to harvest a single memory from the night before. She remembered the afternoon, going into the office after school, and leaving the report on Wes’s desk. Then she had gotten a snack.
Kali concentrated, stretching the memory farther. She saw herself descending stairs. But then there was only a wall of black. Slapping her forehead in frustration, she drew her knees up and rested her head against them. “Greg and Lisa are going to kill me,” she muttered hopelessly.
Kali had to figure out what kind of mess she had gotten herself into so she could at least offer her parents a decent explanation. She flopped back onto the bed, automatically stretching as a yawn eased from her lips. Back arched and toes pointed, her muscles lengthened. She groaned. It was pure pleasure.
Oh
boy
. There was so much power. And she felt so
full
.
The last time she had a sensation this wonderful was back in the ninth grade. It was the day she discovered her ability to absorb life from others. For weeks, Kali ate without getting full. Many times she left the dinner table after second helpings, even thirds, but still went to bed hungry. One afternoon while playing soccer in gym class, a teammate crashed into her. As the two of them tumbled to the ground in a tangle, Kali saw a bunch of pretty colors. A shock of foreign energy followed, charging her body like lightning. Only she got up that day. The other kid was taken to the hospital and was admitted for three days. Doctors attributed the collapse to a severe concussion. Kali had badly wanted to believe that story. But events in the next week quelled any doubt of her culpability for the incident.
She was working on an art project with Matt. He was the last ninth grade boy to hit a growth spurt and the only one to have a crush on her. Inside an empty study room, they spent more time flirting than working. He stole away paintbrushes, held them just out of reach, and dared her to take them. Kali rose to the challenge, but fell into his lap as she flailed for the tools and missed. Matt had kissed her then. She was shocked at first. She didn’t kiss back the inexperienced lips that moved timidly against hers. The heat and moisture of his mouth made a pleasant feeling form low in her stomach. Kali worked her lips around his, finding the rhythm of her first kiss. Matt’s hand went to her thigh, stroking her flesh, slipping between her legs.
Kali had gasped as colors slammed into her mind’s eye. They came brighter than on the soccer field. But just like the week before, a shock of energy hit her. This time, she guessed what was happening and shoved Matt away. As he sat on the floor dazed, she fled. Later he’d apologized, thinking he’d hurt her in some way. But Kali told him to stay away. She really liked Matt and didn’t want to ever hurt him. Some first kiss.
She moved to the edge of the big mattress, and let the sheets fall to her waist. The room was so huge, the bed felt small in comparison. Heavy curtains draped the far wall. Maybe a window behind them would give a clue to her location.
Kali turned her head to what sounded like footsteps crossing hardwood floors. They were getting closer. She viewed the doorway anxiously, waiting for someone to appear. But no one came. And the footsteps had stopped.
A pair of pasties still clung to her boobs, starting to itch. Kali peeled them off and stood, dragging the sheet behind as she crossed to the window. A glint of sunlight escaped from beneath the curtain confirming it was late morning. But the fabric’s hefty appearance had been false. They were made of light silk and cotton that glided smoothly against her fingers as she peeled the curtains back and peered into the welcoming sun.
The scene was a stunning landscape of rolling land, green and vibrant. Warm rays bathed her half-naked body as she pressed her face against the window for a closer look. The glass fogged with her breath. Beyond the meadow was a dense forest. The grass nearby was tall and unkempt, lofty stalks bowing under their weight, barely drifting in the breeze.
A blur of motion just before the tree line caught Kali’s attention. She redirected her gaze, straining to catch another glimpse. But whatever it was had already gone. Then as she was about to leave the window, she spotted a towering figure in the grass.
Chapter 24
Bigger than a deer but too small to be a bear, the thing was enormous. Its color was so perfect a camouflage; the animal could barely be seen. Kali got the sense she only saw because it wanted her to. The animal was absolutely motionless as it stared at her. Kali’s mouth dropped open. She took a small step back.
“I see that you’re up.”
She jumped at the nearness of the voice, at the same time recognizing its owner. She turned around. Rhane looked incredible and… completely unharmed. His face went completely still. His eyes darkened with lust. After several stimulating seconds under that unnerving gaze, his eyes averted to the floor.
Kali was blushing all over. She was naked and the bed linen currently covered only half of her body. She yanked the sheet up. Earlier, she had thought the sunlight was warm. But one look from Rhane had felt hotter than a solar flare.
Shoving his hands into the pockets of a pair of rugged looking jeans, he cleared his throat. “Did you sleep well?”
She folded her arms, almost fully recovered from embarrassment. “I was hoping you could tell me,” she said coolly.
“Actually, I was pretty out of it last night.” Rhane cleared his throat again. “There’s breakfast if you want any.”
She echoed him in disbelief, “Breakfast?”
He glanced at her and then quickly away, pointing to a light overhead. “Yeah, the electric company kept their promise. We’re officially out of the dark ages. I ran to the store while you were sleeping.” He shrugged. “I thought you might wake up hungry.”
She watched him with a fair amount of skepticism. Though he was trying hard to be casual, Kali didn’t miss it when his weight shifted uneasily. And he all but refused to look at her. Kali didn’t understand. It wasn’t like Rhane to be nervous. He was the confident beast.
It’s like I hurt him, she thought with mixture of confusion and dread.
Deciding to test her theory, she moved carefully toward him. With each step she took, Rhane retreated another two backward until he was against the wall and could withdraw no further. She cornered him, refusing to back down. Rhane finally looked up. Shock vaulted through Kali’s blood. She had been wrong. There was no fear. The tension between them came from another source. Raw desire. Rhane’s eyes were burning with control.
She started to reach for him. Something in those eyes made her stop. “Who are you?” she whispered.
He said nothing. His heart was pounding audibly.
An exhilarating sense of empowerment swelled in the wake of his vulnerability. She was a lioness. He was her prey.
“Don’t.” It was almost a plea.
She ignored the warning and placed both hands on his chest. A storm of distorted images hit her, flashing through her mind with disorienting intensity. She heard a voice. A whisper at first, it grew louder until she recognized the song. Drums thudded in the background, rattling her brain. She pressed her head into his chest.
He grabbed her shoulders. “Kalista, stay with me,” he said thickly.
Kali shut her eyes. She concentrated on the light and the images gained a degree of clarity. She saw Rhane. He was standing with her in a moonlit clearing, on a carpet of lush grass that appeared black in the night. Their naked bodies shimmered silver in the light.
Another flash: his face was above hers, looking down. The pavement was cold. She was stunned, dizzy with fear. Shards of glass surrounded her head.
Another painful blaze: More darkness. She was running. Her torso heaved from lack of air. A malevolent force pursued her through the forest. Its earsplitting howl tore through the air, followed by an excited shrill of capture. Hot breath was at her back. She doubled her effort, but the thing was too quick, and overtook her in one leap. She flew forward as the creature slammed into her. Its claws sank into her flesh. She screamed. The creature climbed atop her, pushing her body into soft mud. She screamed again, but the cries were hindered by mouthfuls of earth. With a furious snarl, the creature jerked her body around. She lay on her back, staring into eyes peppered by rage and hatred. Her attacker had no discernible shape, but she knew it was the wolf. She opened her mouth to scream again. A slap took her breath away. She didn’t, couldn’t move again.
The wolf’s wooded eyes began to slowly melt away. Human orbs of a brilliant jade hung in their place. Kali exhaled in astonishment. The eyes belonged to Rhane. He slid away, wisely putting space between her body and his.
“What just happened?”
He hesitated. She could tell he was weighing an answer. “What did you see?”
She was scared out of her mind. That fear presented itself in the form of anger. Kali exploded.
“I
just took a major freaking acid trip! Who are you?”
He winced. “Kalista, I need you to take it easy.”
“Did you have sex with me?”
“No.”
“Did you slap me?”
He nodded contritely. “I did it to bring you back. I’m sorry.”
“From where?”
Chapter 25
Rhane was silent. He was a battleship anchored against a deadly storm, withstanding the waves of her assault. None of what she threw at him could capsize that serenity. He slid both hands into his pockets and slouched against the wall. “I can’t say.”
His demeanor, though frustrating, helped calm the tempest. Kali stopped shouting. “Did I hurt you?”
His expression was briefly pained. “A little,” he admitted.
Regret welled up inside of her at the thought of hurting him. The life she drained, the power she felt, had all been from him. He could have died. She took a shuddering breath. “Can I see?”
“It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”
“Let me see,” she insisted.
Rhane didn’t move, didn’t flinch away when her hands drew up the soft black cotton of his t-shirt. Ugly marks began at his waist, and carved the length of his torso and chest. The jagged wounds were covered by fragile scabs. She touched them with timid fingers, gently tracing the bright pink flesh. Her hands were a perfect match for the spacing between the scars. She had done this.