Matthias dropped his overnight bag as she stood, nearly knocking her chair over in the process, and threw her arms around him.
He buried his face against her neck, whispering her name. After a long moment she looked up at him.
“I’m sorry I left like that.”
“I understand.” He touched his forehead to hers. “Please, next time, tell me you want to leave, that you want space. I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you anything you want.”
She nodded and hugged him again.
He sat with them. She laced her fingers through his, not wanting to let go. Taz had almost dreaded the moment of his return, but now that he was with her she was glad to have him.
“So, what have you been doing?” Matthias asked.
Tim tried to conceal his smile. His timing impeccable, he waited until she took a sip of coffee. “Taz shot a bird at a bison.”
She sprayed her mouthful over the table, laughing, nearly choking.
Matthias, knowing there was more to the story considering Tim’s rare and great pleasure at telling a funny, patiently waited for Taz to compose herself. She tried to talk, dissolved in a fit of laughter, even eliciting a smile from Tim. Finally, between the two of them, they managed to get the story out, and Matthias laughed with them.
They lunched together. When Tim finally bid them good-bye, he hugged Taz and whispered in her ear, “Don’t run again, please.”
“I won’t.” She stepped away, and he squeezed her hands. They watched as he drove out of town toward Gardiner.
Matthias put his arm around Taz’s waist. “Now, about that tour through town?”
“I’d really like that.”
They put his bag in her car, and while she was sure he noticed her bags weren’t there, he didn’t say anything. He took her on a tour of town, including walking the terraces, more thermal features she didn’t get to see on their first visit.
As the day waned and shadows lengthened, he suggested dinner. They had a quiet meal together. He didn’t quiz or scold her about her trip, and eventually she fully relaxed, relieved he wasn’t upset.
After dinner they returned to the car, his arm around her waist. He made no move to ask for the keys.
“Do you want to drive?” she asked.
“If you want me to.”
She looked at the keys and handed them to him, pressing them into his palm “I’d like to relax, I think,” she said.
He kissed her. “Okay.”
During their drive she rested her hand on his leg, glad to have him back. He eventually broke the silence. “How long do you want to stay?”
“I’m not sure. I know we’re going to London, I’m not trying to get out of that. I just need a couple more days. Okay?”
He nodded and patted her hand. “If we’re staying, would you mind if I play tour guide? We didn’t get to do much of that before.”
She couldn’t resist his playful half smile. “What do you have in mind?”
He shrugged. “I’ve spent a lot of time here. I love this place, and not just because it’s traditionally been a place of safety for us, either. It’s beautiful, powerful, raw, uncensored. Animals in front of you, not in cages, not in carefully constructed pens made to look natural. It’s real. Dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“As in it’s not an amusement park.”
She nodded.
“So?” he asked.
“You still didn’t answer my question.”
He smiled. “Do you trust me?”
She studied him. She hadn’t tried to read him since he arrived and hadn’t felt a probe from him, either. “Yes. I do trust you.”
He squeezed her hand again. “We must get up very early tomorrow. Is that okay?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
* * * *
Taz didn’t know what to expect from Matthias at the cabin. He retrieved his bag from the trunk and followed her. Inside he set it on the floor, and after she had the door locked, he held out his arms. She willingly went to him. He held her for several long minutes.
Finally, she said, “I missed you, Matthias. I’m sorry I left.”
He kissed the top of her head. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is you’re safe and you’re here and I’m with you. I don’t care about anything else.”
She took a long, shuddering breath. “I think I’m losing my mind.”
He held her so he could look in her eyes. “Why?” Her eyes brimmed with tears, and he sat her on the bed. “Taz, tell me, please. Let me help. I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.”
She shook her head. “I feel like Rafe is still alive. I keep hearing his voice in my head. Then weird things, like that night at the hotel, that was the last straw. It was like I wasn’t in control of myself, like someone else was pulling the strings. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He pulled her to him. “It’s okay. You’re upset. You’re grieving. You’re also going through a lot of changes right now—”
“If you try to tell me about the birds and the bees, big guy, I’ll slug you.”
He laughed. At least her snark was still intact. “You’re probably tapping into other people’s thoughts and memories without realizing it. Your powers are growing, expanding, as you use them. It’s like any other skill, or muscles, the more you use them, the better developed they become. That takes quite a lot out of a person. And it’s messing with your head.”
“That’s the understatement of the year.”
“You need time for this adjustment.”
He refused to rush her, let her set the pace. Eventually, she began to drop her mental barriers a little. Not all the way—she was still holding back. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. He was content to take as long as she needed to heal.
Just to have her by his side again was a blessing.
She reached out and touched his face. “You’re willing to put up with a crazy woman?”
He took her hand, pressed it against his lips, kissed her palm. “You put up with me. I would say I’m getting the better end of the bargain.”
“I just…I feel like I’ve turned you into some sort of doormat or something.”
“Never. Remember, I have several hundred years of age on you. I have a perspective on this far different from yours.”
She stroked his cheek. “How did I get so lucky to find you?”
“I am the lucky one, cara.” He could stare into her eyes forever. Gladly lose himself in them. “Let me make a quick call,” Matthias said.
She went to the bathroom while he did. When she returned, he sat, dressed, on the bed, thumbing through his BlackBerry.
“All set?” she asked.
“We need to leave here by three thirty tomorrow morning. I’m sorry so early, but we’ve got to go all the way up to Tower.”
“Really?”
“Can I surprise you?”
She smiled. “Okay. I won’t ask.”
They undressed and curled up together like spoons. She fell asleep almost immediately. He closed his eyes and inhaled, glad to be with her again. That’s all that mattered. He soon fell asleep, holding her, content.
* * * *
Matthias awoke by three and gently nudged her. “Taz, time to get up.”
She rolled over to face him, nuzzled him, scooting closer. He was tempted to stay in bed, but it would ruin the surprise.
He kissed her neck, gently nipping her earlobe. “Darling, we must get up.”
She mumbled something as her hand brushed his crotch. He jumped and laughed. “That’s not exactly what I meant, sweetheart.”
He finally coaxed her eyes open and got her to sit up and turned on the bedside lamp. She blinked, rubbing her eyes.
“There’d better be coffee waiting,” she halfheartedly grumped.
“You’ll get some soon. Want a shower?”
She nodded, and he started the water warming. She was still sitting in bed when he returned. “Come on, love.” He took her by the hand a
nd led her to the bathroom.
She finally started waking up. By the time she was dressed and in the car she was capable of coherent speech. She let him drive but was dozing again before they reached West Thumb.
Probably for the best.
By the time they were north of Canyon, she was awake again—sort of. When they pulled into the parking lot of the ranger station at Tower-Roosevelt, she was conscious. A young ranger walked out and greeted them, handing them both cups of coffee.
“Just in time, Matthias,” he said.
Matthias introduced her. “Taz, this is Arlo Grunyon.”
She sipped her coffee. “Coooofffffeeeee,” she mumbled. Then she remembered they weren’t alone. “Sorry. Hi.”
Arlo smiled. “I know it’s early, but it’s the best time of day. Ready?”
Matthias nodded. They followed him to a Park Service truck. With Taz seated between the men, they set out.
* * * *
She didn’t ask where they were going. All she cared about was the steaming cup of wonder in her hands.
God help the man who tried to part her from it.
She didn’t pay much attention to where they were going, but they left the main road. After traveling more than twenty minutes, she noticed dawn touching the skies to the east, but it was still dark in the valleys.
They finally parked near the top of a hill, and Grunyon opened his door. “Ready?”
Matthias nodded. “Come on, Taz, you’ll love this.”
Grunyon retrieved a large case and a tripod from the back of his truck. Taz followed the two men to the edge of an overlook. As Matthias helped the ranger set it up, Taz realized it was some sort of scope. When they finished, Grunyon peered into the scope for several long minutes then stood back, smiling.
“Go ahead, Taz,” Matthias said. “I’ve seen this. I want you to see it.”
She looked at him, but took her place behind the scope. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, then—
She gasped. “Wolves!”
The ranger nodded. “Aren’t they gorgeous?”
Taz breathlessly watched for several long minutes before a crick in her neck forced her to stand up. Matthias took a turn, then stepped back for the ranger.
“They’re down there,” Matthias pointed. As the light slowly changed from deep purple to grey, Taz could make them out, barely, on the valley floor. A pack of about five wolves, but she wasn’t sure if they were adults or pups.
He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, “Send your mind out to them.”
Taz froze, frightened. “I don’t know if I can.”
Matthias brushed his lips against her neck and murmured, “You can. Trust me. Run with them. I’ve got you.”
She closed her eyes. Before when she’d done this it had incapacitated her while her mind wandered. This time she felt a guiding touch, almost a gentle, mental nudge.
It didn’t come from Matthias.
Taking a deep breath, Taz pushed her mind out and swooped down into the valley with the pack, finding the Alpha and running with him, part of him.
Matthias’ voice came to her, distant, yet clear. “That’s it. Excellent.” Unlike the other times, she still felt his arms around her, holding her, and when she shifted her weight, she felt the ground solid beneath her physical feet, even while running mentally at the head of the pack.
She wanted to run forever with them, the freedom, the joy they felt as they swiftly covered the ground. Then Matthias brought her back.
“It’s time to return, cara,” he whispered.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and found herself on the overlook. The ranger watched them, his face full of shock.
“Wow!” he breathed. “Matthias, you never said—”
“And you never will, either,” Matthias warned.
Grunyon nodded. “Of course.”
Taz blinked, turned. “What time is it?”
Matthias smiled. “Just a few minutes have passed. No lost time.”
She contemplated what this meant. “Was that like what I did at West Thumb that day, when I travelled back to Old Faithful?”
He nodded. “Similar. And you didn’t lose control.”
She put her arms around Matthias. “Thank you. This was worth getting up at dark-thirty.”
He hugged her back, smiling. “I was hoping you’d think so.”
* * * *
They watched the wolves for nearly an hour before returning to the ranger station to retrieve the car.
“Breakfast?” Matthias asked. She eagerly agreed, and they drove over to Mammoth Hot Springs to eat. He took them back to their cabin via the west road. As they approached Norris, she felt him tense.
“It’s okay, Matthias. Dad brought me over here the other day. I saw where it happened.”
He squeezed her hand. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“I was so close. I felt it, saw the way to die.”
“I’m so glad you didn’t. You have no idea.”
She smiled, feeling a little more settled now than she had in days. The fact that the disembodied voice hadn’t spoken lately helped a lot.
They napped at the cabin. Before lunch they took a long walk around the geyser basin.
Matthias didn’t speak, knowing she wanted to think and walk, letting her set the pace of their stroll and their conversation. She stopped at the place where she kissed Rafe and turned to Matthias, took both his hands.
“I’m sorry it happened.”
“I keep telling you, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. Let me finish.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know why I kissed him. I know you all keep telling me it was my powers that made me act like Psycho the Wonder Witch, but I have to tell you the truth. I felt like I’d met him before, like he was someone I knew. And I enjoyed it.” She paused, but he didn’t interrupt her. “I’m sorry he’s dead, and I know you don’t blame me for what happened, but I take responsibility for what I did. I’m sorry, Matthias, I really am.”
He pulled her to him. “It’s all right. I already told you I don’t blame you.” He kissed her, long, hard, and passionately. He felt her slight resistance at first, then she melted against him, into him, and returned it.
When he was sure he had her full attention again, he whispered in her ear, “You are my love, Anastazia. I know you felt a connection with him, that you loved him, and I don’t begrudge it. Especially now. I don’t claim to have all the answers. One day, you’ll be able to make sense of it, I promise.”
“How can you just forgive me like that?”
“It’s not a matter of ‘just’ forgiving you. Again, I’ve seen a lot in over six hundred years. I have a perspective that you do not. Trust me to know my feelings and my heart.”
Taz didn’t want to pull her gaze away from his. No disembodied voice tormented her, and maybe now she’d remember her kiss with Matthias in this exact spot. Not that she wanted to forget Rafe, but she had to move on.
“Let’s go eat,” she suggested.
“Lunch?” he asked, with a playful smile.
She hesitated, then gently shoved him. “Yes, lunch. Pervert.”
“You love it.”
She hooked her arm through his, enjoying the solid feel of his body beside her. “Yes, I love you.”
* * * *
She wasn’t in a romantic mood by the time they returned from lunch. Not because of anything he said or did, but because she felt crampy. She cuddled next to him in bed, and he took the time to talk with her. “What do you want to talk about?”
She thought about it. This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? “What’s going to happen to Caroline?”
“I don’t know. Before you yell at me for that answer, I truly don’t. I’m guessing your question is, will they execute her?”
She nodded.
“Sometimes, in extreme cases such as this, especially since she’s taken a life with her own hands, it is best the rogue is executed. It hasn’t happened for a lo
ng time, well over forty years, but it has happened.”
“Who makes that decision?”
“The Tribunal. They’ll hear our testimony, and Tim and Albert, and those who were there. Remember, several members of the Tribunal were at the meeting.”
“Oh, great,” she groaned. “Fan-fucking-tastic. They’ll hate me.”
“No, Taz. They were upset at first, but once they realized what happened, they understood.”
“How will they kill her?”
“The traditional method was beheading, but that was, as I said, a while ago. Now we have drugs that can do the same thing. I would imagine if they choose that sentence, that is what will happen.”
“And if they don’t choose to execute her?”
“We have a special prison. No Harry Potter jokes, please,” he said before she could get that far.
She fell quiet for a while. “Can I ask you about your wife?”
He tensed but knew it was a conversation that had to happen sooner or later. “What do you wish to know?”
“What was she like?”
He closed his eyes, felt Taz’s warm body in his arms. She was here, real. He could do this. “Sarah was a lot like you in many ways. She was very strong willed, and I think that’s one of the things that drew me to her.”
“Why’s that?”
He tried to picture Sarah’s face, hear the voice of his long-dead love. “Back then it was expected women did what they were told. Strong-willed women were frequently labeled witches.”
“Why wasn’t she?”
“Her family was well connected, and she was very smart. She had three brothers. Since her family was rich, they could afford private tutors. She learned along with them.”
“She was already ahead of the bell curve.”
He nodded. “She could get her hands dirty if necessary, like any peasant. She didn’t tolerate injustice. Her parents were very well-liked, fair people. They had money but treated others justly.”
“Because of that she was given more leeway?”
“Exactly.”
“Where did you meet?”
“I was hunting with another cousin. We came across her while she was riding, and she challenged us to a race.”