Embrace The Night (29 page)

Despite the uncertainty of her current situation, Sage couldn’t hold back the memory of those moments.

Thankful for the darkness, she rubbed her hot cheek into a cool portion of the pillow, reliving the feel of those oh, so skilled fingers sliding in and around and against her…and the warm moist lips on her breast, tugging and sucking just enough to make her sigh and moan. And want more.

Her breathing rose a bit and she closed her eyes tightly, wondering how she would ever get him to touch her again when he kept dangling Theo between them.

She’d come to realize, during her hours of yanking weeds (pretending she was pulling out all of his lovely, long hair) that it definitely wasn’t that he found her revolting. He found her attractive. And he cared about her. And that was why he kept bringing up Theo. For some reason, he thought…well, she wasn’t sure what he thought.

That Theo had
dibs
on her, like she was the biggest piece of cake on the plate or something?

For a smart man, he certainly could be an idiot.

Then, after a while, maybe fifteen minutes of lying still and quiet in the near darkness, he stirred. Simon moved around energetically, rising and shifting, and she felt pillows and the blankets pile up in rough bundles around and next to her. What in the world…?

And then there was a gentle dip and shift as he got off the bed…but she didn’t see his shadow or silhouette. He’d turned invisible.

It took a few minutes, and she swore she heard the faintest slide of a drawer opening and the bare rustle of the canvas packs, but she dare not lift up to see. Then he came over to her side of the bed with a gentle bump against the mattress, and he curled his fingers over her wrist. Simon’s grip shifted as he took a deep breath, and then, she felt that shimmery, lovely feeling sweep over her…and she disappeared.

He tugged her and she followed him from the bed, realizing with a blast of delight that the camera couldn’t see her—no one could see her! What a freeing, heady…yet sobering realization.

Wow.

The sparkly feeling stuck with her as they moved silently across the room and then Simon stopped. She felt his invisible body, still warm and solid despite its visual transparency, crouch to the floor and pull her down next to him. As they sank, low and beneath the camera, he began to rematerialize and so did she. The silvery, soft prickling sensation eased and she felt Simon breathing heavily next to her, as if he’d been running or working hard.

“Need a minute,” he muttered into her ear. “Then we leave.”

She didn’t know how much effort it took for him to turn invisible, and then to turn herself that way, but it was obviously something he couldn’t maintain for an unlimited amount of time. And, she wondered for the first time, how he’d figured out he had that sort of ability. It wasn’t an inherent skill, to turn transparent…how did one learn to do it?

They crouched there, knees angled up, thighs and shoulders brushing against the other, down against the wall, out of sight of the camera. Her computer pack lay where she’d left it, right within reach, and when Sage looked up at the bed, she saw the lumps of pillows and blankets and realized what he’d done to make it look as if they still lay sleeping.

He was so smart. And strong. And capable. And he made her feel…she shivered, deep in her belly. Oh, he made her
feel
.

Sage turned to look at him, bumping against his shoulder, her heart swelling in her chest. Their faces were so close as they huddled together that her hair mingled with his. His breathing had settled and slowed. Their eyes met, barely discernable in the low light, and he murmured something in that other language he used, something she couldn’t understand…but it didn’t matter because he was leaning toward her.

The kiss was gentle, and yet filled with meaning. Apology, sensuality, an edge of desperation. She shifted closer, wanting more of those sexy lips, a deeper slide of his tongue, hot and strong in her mouth. Her hand settled over his chest, feeling the mad pounding of his heart and the rise, again, of his breath.

“Simon,” she mouthed against his lips. His hand moved into her hair, caught on a tangle, then gently smoothed on down as he pulled away. The soft sound of her lips releasing his settled on the silence, and then they both stiffened at the same time.

For they heard it, the sounds of heavy footsteps and loud voices, coming rapidly.

Simon swore low, and they scrambled to their feet. He squeezed her hand, and as the footsteps came closer, he bent down and swung up the pack over a shoulder that already carried two others, and gestured for her to press back against the wall next to the door.

The knocks on the door were perfunctory and sharp, and the intruders didn’t wait for anyone to answer. A key moved in the lock and suddenly the door flew open with a gust of air, but by that time, the shimmery sparkling feeling had settled over Sage and she and Simon were transparent.

The men rushed in, four of them, and hardly had they breeched the door than Simon was running out, tugging her after him as they slipped right past them.

Down the hall they ran, the packs bumping and clunking against his back. He dodged into a different hallway and they found a room where he could rest for a minute and release the hold on their opacity.

Sage shimmered back to herself and looked at Simon. He seemed all right—a little out of breath, but not exhausted. Smart to take a rest when he could, for who knew what lay around the next corner.

The sounds of shouting reached their ears in the distance. Their ruse had been discovered—although their pursuers could have no way of knowing how they escaped.

“Come on,” he said, grabbing her hand without turning them invisible again. They ran through the Community House, heading toward back of the kitchen. Apparently Simon had learned his way around the back ways from his shifts helping to cook.

Moments later, they were outside, and now instead of running, they were dodging from shadow to shadow. “You okay?” he asked once when they settled against the ivy-covered wall of a nearby mansion.

“Fine.”

The night was dark, thank goodness, darker than last night, for the moon was a bit smaller and cloaked in heavy clouds. Shadows melded into shadows, giving them good cover, but then Sage noticed a blast of light.

“Look,” she said, but Simon had already seen it.

“The gate.
Pinche
,” he muttered.

The great wave of illumination shone like a raging fire from the area of the front gate, illuminating the entire space. They might have been able to sneak over there and through, using Simon’s invisibility…but not now. Between the vast light that likely drove into every corner, it was also presumable that the gate was completely locked and closed. Sure, they could turn invisible, but they couldn’t pass through walls.

“Wait, Simon…” Sage felt a rush of prickles over her. “There’s another way out of here.” She remembered what she’d been reading in the diary.

He looked at her, eyes dark and intense. “Where?”

“Not sure; we need a place to hide so I can figure it out. It’s on that computer that I found.” She shook her head sharply, snapping to silence as the sound of voices came nearer. Strident, angry voices.

Simon didn’t waste any time. He pushed her up against the ivy and covered her with his body, and his protective invisibility.

Oh God.
All thoughts of secret exits and computers disintegrated as his hard body pressed into her—her legs and arms and chest, warm and comforting…Sage buried her face in his shoulder and breathed deeply of him, her arms curling around his neck, her face resting against his jaw.

As soon as the voices were past, she felt the tension leave him and the shimmery feeling fade and they were back again.

“Come on,” he said. “I know where we can go.”

They ducked and dashed, Simon directing her to a familiar route. She realized they were on their way back to the house where they’d secreted the
NAP
. Good thinking. No one would look there for them.

Lights shone in the distance behind them, moving about as the group of pursuers grew to encompass more members. Shouts and calls filled the night air.

Why were they after them, anyway? What had Simon done to Tatiana?

Only once did they have to resort to the invisibility trick, when they nearly ran into a group of three men who were coming quickly around a corner. Simon yanked Sage into the darkness and they were not quite transparent when the men came into view.

She felt him tense next to her as one of the trio stopped, peering closely into the shadows that they had become part of.

“I swore I saw something…” he said, coming closer.

If he took two more steps, he’d walk right into them…Sage felt Simon go even more rigid, felt the faint tension in his body, a low tremble as he fought to keep them clear even as he held his breath. Automatically, they edged ever so slightly to the left, out of his path, as he stepped closer.

Sage could feel his presence and she tightened herself even closer to Simon, holding her breath.

“I know I saw something,” the man said. And he moved closer. Close enough to touch them.

April 15

Almost ten months later.

I’m pregnant! I’m due in late October, we think.

Kevin is so happy, and everyone is celebrating. There are five of us here at Falling Creek who are expecting, and that’s almost half of the females here.

Our number has grown from the original twelve that left Envy. A few people were already living here in FC, and we’ve gotten to know them. We’re up to seventeen now.

Many more women than men, which is good for the idea of repopulating the human race. But we need more men to even things out.

A big river runs nearby and they’ve figured out a way to get electricity here from its energy. There’s talk about solar panels and also a windmill, too. We’re all living in one big mansion right now—the houses here are ridiculous. But Kevin and Robert and the others are rebuilding another one so we can spread out when the babies come.

It makes me a nervous to think about having a baby here, without a doctor and without medication or drugs or anything. I always pictured being in a hospital, with Drew holding my hand, and Donna videotaping the event, all safe and sterile in case something goes wrong…But I have to do my part, and women have been having babies for millennia. It won’t be that bad.

Interesting. I just noticed the date. Tax Day. But not anymore. Not ever again.

—from Adventures in Juliedom, the

blog of Julie Davis Beecher Corrigan

Sage held her breath, clutching tightly to Simon.

But at last the man turned and ambled back to his friends. “Guess not. I musta seen an animal or something.”

No sooner had they gone out of sight than Simon released, and they both returned to their normal state. Now he was breathing heavily, and even in the dimness, she could see the lines in his handsome face. He was becoming exhausted from the constant changing, and, likely, the additional effort of changing her as well.

At last, they approached the house, but this time, Simon didn’t leave Sage in the shadows while he went in. Three men stood in front of the house, talking. No one could approach without being seen—which was good for the two of them.

No one would suspect or even consider that they were in the house, and they could walk right past the men on guard.

And that was what they did…silently, carefully, but as quickly as possible—Sage being conscious of Simon’s limitations. The door was closed, but the men were facing the opposite direction. Simon stopped, and of course she couldn’t see him, but she knew why he paused.

It was a risk to open the door and go in, but it was a risk they had to take. They wouldn’t be seen, of course, but they might be heard.

But just then, the door opened of its own volition—or, actually, because someone inside was coming out.

Simon moved quickly, and Sage had to take care not to trip or bump into anything as she was yanked along. He caught the door with his foot so that it didn’t close behind the man who’d just stepped out, and whisked Sage through before the other guy knew what happened, leaving the door swinging in their wake.

The sound of it slamming shut followed them as Simon dashed up the stairs, pulling Sage along faster than she could go. Watching for things to step or trip on, she couldn’t even see where her feet were. It was a strange sensation, and slowed her down.

The sparkly feeling began to ebb as they reached the top, and she felt Simon breathing heavily against her. They both filtered back into solidness and stood on the landing of the grand, sweeping staircase.

Five minutes later, they’d reached the attic safely and soundlessly. Sage settled on the floor in a corner, out of sight of the door. Simon joined her, sitting on the floor with the three packs he’d carried the whole way. He pulled out the hand-crank flashlight and set in on the floor, where it would glow too low to be seen beyond the four-story-high dirty windows, but enough to light the area for them.

“Wow,” she said in quiet voice.

“Wow?”

“That was pretty amazing.”

She couldn’t really see his face, but from the way he tilted his head, she thought he might even have lifted an eyebrow in question. Then he turned to pull a blanket from one of the packs, and gestured for her to sit on it.

“That escape,” she said. “You were…amazing. Thank you. For saving me.”

He gave a short, derisive laugh. “I haven’t saved you yet.”

“You will. We’ll get out of here.” She looked at him and felt her heart swell again. She opened her mouth to say something…to tell him how she was feeling, but he looked away. And she chickened out.

So, instead of saying what she really wanted to, Sage asked, “How did you figure out you could turn invisible?”

That got his attention, and he looked back at her. “Trust you to ask that question.” His lips twitched in a bit of a smile.