Dusk (6 page)

“That’s not true. We all watched our parents die. We
felt
them die,” Greyson replied.

Solomon laughed shortly. “No, not like that.” He turned away.

“Explain it to me,” Greyson said, reaching out and grasping his
arm.

Solomon’s empathy flared as the energy from his brother crackled
over him like static. Making a quick decision, he lowered his mental barriers
and let the sorrow he usually kept deeply buried drift to the top of his mind.
He watched with satisfaction as his brother paled and stumbled back.

“What—?” Greyson stuttered, but stopped as he rubbed his palm. “What
happened to you?” He looked at Solomon with dismay.

“Grief happened, brother,” Solomon said quietly. Regret washed
through him as he watched Greyson work through what he’d sensed. His brother
didn’t deserve his anger. Solomon took a deep breath. Let it out. “It was a
long time ago. Don’t fret over it.” Solomon started walking again.

“Who was she?” Greyson asked, walking with him. “You weren’t paired,
were you? We would have sensed that.”

Solomon shook his head. “No. We were not paired, though it wasn’t
for lack of trying.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “She was my wife. I
married her a little over one hundred and fifty years ago. We loved each other.
She died of old age. End of story.”

“You were married?” Greyson sounded disturbed. “How did we not
know of this?”

Solomon stopped and stared up through sun-dappled green and gold
leaves. Blue sky peeked between the trees. It was an exceedingly fine
afternoon, similar to the day he’d buried Constance. “We didn’t keep in touch
as much back then, as you recall. Travel was more difficult. We had the
starships, but we didn’t want to risk them being seen, so we all agreed to only
meet once a year.”

“I remember.” Greyson’s voice was soft. “It wasn’t easy for any of
us.”

“That is true,” Solomon agreed. “So when I fell for a local farmer’s
daughter, it was not difficult to keep her existence a secret from you and the
others. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I simply did not think about it.” He
swallowed. “All was fine, until I realized she and I couldn’t pair with each
other.”

“Why didn’t you come to us for help?” Greyson asked.

“Because there was nothing you could do. I am the scientist. Remember?
I know exactly how our tech works. Constance was not able to pair with me
because she’d been abused by her father, and couldn’t trust that deeply. She
could not free her inner self.”

“I’m sorry.”

Solomon lifted a shoulder. “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. I tried to
reconfigure my DNA and dose her with it, to encourage an affinity, but all it
did was make her sick. She would not let me try again. Said it didn’t matter.
She didn’t truly understand what it meant. We were married. That was enough for
her.” He started walking again. “It was easier for her. She did not have to
watch me die.”

“God, Solomon. I can’t believe you didn’t tell us.” Greyson
sounded sad. “I can’t believe you tried to pair with her at all, after the way
our father suffered when our mother died.”

“There was nothing you could do. And as for pairing, well… You have
come to understand how love changes you. Meeting Eva has brought you peace.”
Solomon walked out of the woods and spotted the place he wanted to set up the
sensor. It was near the high school’s athletic field parking lot. Greyson
followed him as he headed to the rear of the empty lot. He crouched down and
activated the device, attaching it to the back of a used clothing donation bin.

“Is that why you’re so upset about Lucy?”

Solomon went still. “Yes.”

“But you already know that you and she are matched. You
practically vibrate on the same wavelength whenever you’re near each other. It
won’t be like before,” Greyson offered.

Solomon stood up and ran a hand through his hair. “No, it won’t,”
he bit out. “But don’t you see? That’s why I’m upset. I did not ask for this. I
was perfectly content by myself. I loved Constance, and it was enough for me.”
He jerked his head and began walking towards the street.

“Then why are you setting up sensors in my territory?” Greyson
asked.

Solomon glanced at his brother, using his empathic senses to read
him. Greyson’s emotions broadcast all the things his face didn’t: sympathy,
hope, and a strong dose of frustration.
Join the club,
Solomon thought
irritably.

“You can walk away from Lucy. Affinity doesn’t take away our free
will,” Greyson explained, as if Solomon didn’t know this already.

“I’m setting them up because it doesn’t matter that I was content.
It is already too late for me.”

Chapter Five

Lucy swiveled around in her chair and grabbed the printouts,
scanning the top sheet for errors. The ring on her finger still felt weird. She
absently ran her thumb over the top of it. The silver was cool to the touch and
she rubbed it until it warmed.

“That’s a pretty ring,” her friend and officemate, Shari, said. “Where
did you get it? I don’t remember you wearing that one before.”

Lucy almost tucked her hand into her pocket, then realized that
would look stranger than just being nonchalant about a random piece of jewelry.
“A friend gave it to me.”

“It’s nice. Looks like something a guy friend would give you,”
Shari remarked.

Lucy blushed.

“Oh, ho. It
is
from a guy? That’s awesome. Is he cute?”
Shari grinned at her.

Lucy stifled a laugh as she tried to imagine anyone calling
Solomon
cute
. He was six feet tall
and built like he spent his days hauling logs instead of working in a tower on
arcane tech no one else understood. He walked as if he owned the ground beneath
his feet. The only other men who could compare with him were his brothers, and
they were just as tall and forbidding as Solomon was.
Except for his eyes. His light brown eyes are always so warm…

“He’s just a friend,” Lucy said aloud, emphasizing the friend
part. It was true. There was no way Solomon could possibly be interested in
her. He gave her the ring because he felt sorry for her, she was certain of it.
And she had no idea if she would ever see him again, anyway. It wasn’t like she
had any way to contact him.
Although you could ask Eva,
a small voice at
the back of her mind suggested.

“Uh, huh. Whatever you say, Lucy. They all start out as friends,
you know. And then one day you wake up and realize that you’re married and you
have three kids. And you’d give anything for five minutes of peace and quiet.
Just look at Kathy,” Shari drawled, winking.

“I heard that!” Kathy, one of the nurses on duty, called as she
walked down the hall outside the office.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “I don’t think I’m going to be having three
kids anytime soon, Shari.”

“Uh-huh. You say that now.” Shari grinned, then pointed to the
papers in Lucy’s hand. “Is that the last one for the day?”

Relieved that Shari wasn’t going to keep teasing her, Lucy nodded.
“Yes.”

“Awesome. Almost time to go home. Here’s the patient’s folder.”

Lucy took it from her and tucked one copy of the patient’s visit
into the file, then set the second copy aside to be mailed. “I’m glad it’s the
last one. I think we’re actually going to get to go home on time today.”

Shari glanced at the clock on the wall. “I think you may be right.
There’s only Mrs. Oakshone left, and Dr. Mann is in with her now.”

“Yay,” Lucy mock cheered. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear
and leaned back in her chair. “I hate Wednesdays.” She stretched the kinks out
of her neck and stifled a yawn. “I think I hate them more than Mondays.”

“That’s because Wednesday is the day we have to come in early. Six
in the morning is way too early to be dragging myself out of bed,” Shari said.

“Don’t remind me.” Lucy rubbed her eyes. “I just want to go home
and sleep until Saturday.”

Melinda, the woman who ran the front desk laughed as she looked
over from her computer. “Yeah, you and me both.”

“Who wants to sleep until Saturday? Count me in,” Kathy said as
she came into the office from the examination rooms. “Sounds like a good idea
to me.”

“Doesn’t it though?” Lucy sighed. “It would help if it was
raining. Then I wouldn’t mind being stuck inside, but it’s been gorgeous out
all day.” She swiveled her chair around again, counting the minutes until she
could leave. The clock said five thirty. Only a half hour before she was free.

“Hmm, speaking of gorgeous, who is that?” Melinda murmured,
staring out of her window to the patient waiting room. “Hello, hello, Mr. Tall,
Dark, and Handsome.” Her hands went to her hair, and then she adjusted her top,
straightening out the wrinkles. “Wow. He’s got that stubble thing going on that
I like. Check it out, ladies.”

Lucy smiled, used to Melinda’s primping, and then turned to see
the man she was gushing over. When her eyes met Solomon’s through the glass,
she gasped, hands going to her chest like a heroine in a romance novel. He
nodded at her. Lucy’s heart fluttered.

God, what is he doing here?
She couldn’t get enough air into her lungs. Her skin went hot,
then cold, then hot again as she stared at him. He walked across the empty
waiting room as if he owned the place, smiling briefly at her through the
partition. Even from across the room, the silver specks in his eyes glimmered,
like diamonds set in copper. The man was way too good-looking for her peace of
mind. She ran her thumb over the ring he’d given her, then forced herself to
stop fidgeting.

Maybe it’s the shirt he’s wearing?
she wondered, trying to reason
away her attraction to him. The vaguely silver fabric clung to his upper body, perfectly
highlighting all the muscles she’d suspected he had. At the dinner last Friday,
he’d worn a button-down shirt. It fit him nicely, and she knew he was in fantastic
shape after clutching at him from the back of a motorcycle, but she’d hadn’t let
herself dwell on his looks beyond that.
Silly me.

“Oh, he looks like he knows you, Lucy. He’s staring right at you,”
Melinda murmured under her breath gleefully. When he reached the window, she
quickly slid open the glass panel. “Can I help you?” she asked politely.
Eagerly.

“I’m looking for Lucy,” he said, voice low and sexy.

All the women in the office turned and looked at her. Lucy wanted
to crawl under her workspace. She stood up, thinking that would help her gain
control of the situation, but instead, she had to grab the counter above the
desk to keep from falling over.
Head rush,
she thought, still staring at
him.

“Hello, Lucy,” he said, interrupting her heart attack.

“Uh, hey, Solomon. What are you doing here?” she asked, struggling
to keep her voice even. He looked calm. Collected. All the things she didn’t
feel right now. Having him show up at her job, out of the blue, had her both
terrified and excited. “Is everything okay?” she couldn’t resist asking.

“Everything is fine. I simply wanted to talk to you. Can you take
a break for a minute or two?” He leaned on the counter.

“Um, I suppose,” she muttered, looking at Shari for help.

Her friend shrugged and made shooing motions with her hands. “You
should just leave for the day. It’s almost time to go anyway.”

Lucy frowned at her. Shari smiled impishly.
Guy friend?
she
mouthed, raising her eyebrows.

Lucy’s face went hot.

“You look familiar, Mr. Solomon,” Melinda suddenly said, startling
Lucy from her indecision.

“I’ll be right out,” she told him, hoping Melinda didn’t ask him
any more questions. If there was one thing she knew, it was that the Sentries
guarded their privacy very closely. She grabbed her purse and headed for the
door to the waiting room. Just as she got to the other side of the partition,
she heard Melinda ask Solomon if he’d ever been on television.

Oh God,
she thought, hurrying over to him. “He’s just a friend,” she called out to the
office full of women. She tucked her hand into his elbow and tugged him away
from the window. His skin felt alive and warm, and she let go of him as soon as
he started to move with her, thinking,
I can’t believe I just grabbed him
like that.

“Wait, your name is Solomon?” Melinda said loudly, sounding like
she’d suddenly figured out the secrets of the universe. “I know where I’ve seen
you before. You
were
on television. You’re a Sentry.”

Lucy willed herself to disappear, but Solomon paused and inclined
his head. “I am. But there is no need for alarm. I am simply here to speak with
Lucy.”

Lucy glanced at her co-workers. Melinda looked like she was going
to pass out. Shari stared at her, eyes wide, and Lucy knew she was thinking
about the ring. Kathy was the only one who seemed unconcerned, probably because
she was used to a lot of commotion. The woman had three kids under ten years
old, after all.