Luke took the glass and pills from her and swallowed them quickly, glancing up into her eyes as he did. “Thank you again, sweetheart,” he said, setting the glass down on the night table. “Come on,” he urged, pulling back the bedding on the other side of the bed for her. “Come cuddle with me.”
He wanted nothing more at that moment than to do a whole Hell of a lot more with her than just cuddle. But he realized with a tired sigh that his weariness was starting to hit him, and he would just have to settle for holding her instead – although if truth be known, that was pretty fan-freaking-tastic on its own. She fit him like a glove - and he felt complete and whole when she was beside him – as if he had found the piece of him that had been missing his entire life. There was peace and contentment in her arms – and it was nice.
He watched her with interest as she walked slowly around the bed and slid in beside him – and his heart tightened a moment later when she snuggled up against him – her body curling up cautiously against his side and he knew that it was because she was trying hard not to hurt him – and his love for her only swelled.
He slipped his arm around her and pulled her close, placing a kiss against her temple. “Sweet dreams, beautiful,” he murmured, before letting his eyes slide close and drifting off to sleep. The woman that he was completely and irrevocably in love with held securely against him – her heart beating steadily against his side. And for the first time in Luke’s life – he felt like he was home.
Chapter 9
Kat snapped awake with a gasp just before dawn - a sheen of sweat on her brow from the nightmare that had seized her in its grip. She squeezed her eyes shut – trying to make the images of Luke - bloodied and dying, disappear from her mind – his body covered in horrible, angry gashes; his blood pooling at his feet.
She bit back the sob that threatened to overtake her, and slowly slid from Luke’s comforting embrace, and silently dashed for the bathroom – a wave of nausea overtaking her.
She closed the door and ran over to the toilet - her stomach clenching with the sudden urge to vomit. She stood there until the sensation passed, then went over to the sink and splashed cold water on her face – taking deep gulps of air into her lungs. The nightmare had shaken her to the core and its nasty tendrils just wouldn’t leave her – and it left her scared and trembling uncontrollably – to the point that her teeth were chattering.
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she realized that she and Harper needed to leave Luke as soon as possible. There was no other way. She knew that her dream was a warning, and she’d be damned if she wouldn’t heed it. She would not let him die! She couldn’t!
She turned on the water and stepped into the shower – not caring; or even feeling if the water was the right temperature. Her entire body was numb – and she just didn’t care.
Kat stepped out of the shower, still in a daze - and jumped when she found Luke standing in the bathroom - a towel held out towards her in his hands.
“Morning beautiful,” he said with a smile as he took a step closer and wrapped her up. He leaned in and kissed her, his lips so warm and gentle that she felt her heart twist painfully in her chest.
“Are you feeling better,” she asked, leaning away from him slightly so that she could look up into his face - yet not quite ready to leave the warmth of his embrace - no matter how selfish it was. Just a few wonderful minutes more – she silently told herself. Just something to take with you.
Luke nodded and took a step back from her – holding his arms out at his sides. “Right as rain,” he replied, and Kat’s eyes scanned his glorious chest only to discover absolute perfection. Not a mark or bruise was visible. She sighed in relief and tried to give him a smile. “What about you, red?” He asked quietly. “Is everything all right? You seem kind of distracted.” His brows furrowed as he studied her intently.
“I’m fine,” she lied, adjusting the towel around her. She noticed Luke’s grin as she tried to secure it over her breasts, and her heart began to race when his hands covered hers and stilled them.
Suddenly the towel fell to the floor as Luke leaned forward and kissed her with a hunger that nearly knocked her to her knees. There was nothing else she could do but to wrap her arms around his neck to keep from falling, and return his powerful embrace. She had fallen completely in love with this man – and in order to save him, she had to leave him – but she needed him – so damn much that it was killing her. She needed him to take the nightmare away. She needed to know that he was safe.
In the next instant he swung her around and lifted her, setting her down on the marble vanity. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him close – needing to have him inside her – to feel that connection - no matter how fleeting it was going to be. Just one last time she wanted to pretend that he was hers.
“Baby,” Luke moaned into her mouth, his hands plunging into her damp hair as he ground himself against her, his body trembling with desire. “Easy, sweetheart, take it slow,” he cautioned.
“Please, Luke,” she begged. “I…I need you.”
Luke felt like his heart would burst from his chest when she uttered those words, and he groaned from the very depths of his soul as he heeded her wishes and carefully slid inside her – surprised at how warm and ready she was.
She hadn’t said the three words that he longed to hear from her lips – but this was a start, and he would take it – for now. But he was damned well sure that this woman would realize that she loved him – and he could only hope that it was half as much as he loved her.
He began to move, slowly at first - but the feel of her heat clamped down around him was tearing him apart, and he began to move faster – needing to feel that wondrous release that only the two of them could achieve. She was his, and whether she was ready to admit it or not – she was his other half - and they belonged together.
Kat could feel the tremors beginning in her belly and pulled Luke closer as her body began to shudder and quake against his – tightening up in the delicious release that only he could give her. He brought her to heights that she never thought possible, and she knew that she loved him more than she ever had or ever would love someone.
She felt him stiffen as he rocked into her, his breath coming out in a ragged gasp as he climaxed, and she chewed on her bottom lip to keep from screaming out his name – or worse yet, that she loved him as wave after wave of glorious sensation rippled through her body – leaving her shaken and breathless. She buried her face in his neck as tears sprang to her eyes - her heart breaking at the thought of leaving him. This was just too damn hard.
They held each other in silence as their breathing slowly returned to normal, and finally Kat lifted her head and placed a kiss on his lips – forcing a smile to her face.
“Thanks for the wakeup call, Benji,” she said as lightly as possible - although she couldn’t look him in the eyes. She was much too afraid that he would see her heart reflected in them. “Why don’t you take a nice long shower while I get dressed and wake Harper? Then we can grab a bite to eat and be on our way.”
Luke cupped her chin in his hand and lifted her face, kissing her tenderly. “That sounds like a plan,” he murmured against her mouth. He kissed her again and stepped back to start the shower. “Care to join me?”
Kat shook her head and hopped down from the vanity, noticing that her legs were shaking. She took a calming breath and gave him a wink. “Maybe later, big boy. But, I really want to get a move on, and I’m starving.”
“You know - for some reason, I have an overwhelming taste for pancakes,” he said with a grin. “I won’t be long.” He gave her another kiss and stepped into the stall.
“Take your time. You know how we girls are – it takes us forever to primp.” With that she turned and walked out of the door – closing it behind her.
She leaned against it, and placed her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the sob that wanted to break free and wanting nothing more at that moment than to rush back to him a
nd tell him everything. “I love you, Lucas Blackwater,” she whispered – her voice barely audible and her eyes shining. With a mental push, she walked across the room and quickly dressed.
“Harper, wake up,” Kat said, nudging her sister on the shoulder. Harpers eyes popped opened and she blearily looked up – trying to focus.
“What?” She grumbled sleepily.
“Come on. We don’t have much time,” Kat urged, pulling the girl from the bed. “We need to get out of here before Luke gets out of the shower.”
“Why? What do you mean?” She asked, grabbing her jeans and slipping them on as Kat gathered the rest of her stuff.
“We have to get out of here. Harper, if we don’t leave now, Luke… he’s going to be…” Kat stopped as her tears choked her. She couldn’t even say the word. It frightened her way too much. “We just need to leave…now. Please, hurry up.”
Harper did as she was asked and followed Kat out of the room and trotted down the hall beside her to the elevators. “How are we going to…” she began, but Kat gave her a guilty smile and held up Luke’s keys. “You can’t be serious?” She breathed in complete shock. “You mean to tell me that not only are we ditching him – but we’re stealing his car too? This is all kinds of screwed up! Why do we have to leave him anyway? I really like Luke.”
Kat ushered Harper into the elevator and stepped in behind her, pushing the button for the garage level. “Honey, Luke is in a lot of danger because of me, and if we don’t leave him now, he’s going to be hurt.” She explained – her chest feeling as if there were a lead weight pressing down on it – sucking the air from her lungs. And again, she felt the salty sting of tears. Damn it to Hell, she chastised herself – she really needed to man up and grow a pair. She was doing this for Luke. She was doing this to keep him alive!
When the elevator doors slid open, Kat ushered Harper out ahead of her and hurried her over to Luke’s SUV. She threw their bags into the back seat and jumped in behind the wheel. “Buckle up,” she said when Harper got in beside her.
With a deep, shaky breathe - Kat started the car and headed out of the lot, her heart breaking with each mile that passed.
“Where are we heading?” Harper asked, looking at her nervously.
“My apartment. We’ll switch cars there and grab some stuff, then…well; I’m just not sure kiddo. I have some money saved up – so we should be ok for a while. And I can always find a job…”
“My parents gave me some money,” Harper offered, her face set in a frown. She was silent for a long moment, studying Kat with an expression on her face that was far beyond her seventeen years. She looked so mature and thoughtful. “You love him, don’t you?” She said finally, and Kat looked at her - her eyes glistening.
“More than my own life,” she whispered, and Harper grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “That’s why I have to leave him. I have to keep him safe, Harper – and being with me isn’t.”
Harper nodded her understanding – her heart twisting for her sister.
Luke hummed as he lathered up and washed – feeling as if he was finally making progress with the fiery little redhead. He broke out into a smile as he stepped from the shower – grabbing a towel and quickly drying himself.
That woman tried his patience at every turn with her stubbornness – but he realized with a laugh that he wouldn’t have it any other way. She was hard- headed, and a smart ass – and the woman he was determined to spend his life with. He knew without a doubt that she would keep his life interesting – and he was looking forward to every minute of it.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked into the bedroom. Grabbing his jeans and slipping them on, he walked over to Harpers room to hurry the girls along. He was damned hungry after his night – and morning, with Kat and wanted to grab breakfast before heading back to Desmond and Abby’s.
When he knocked on the door – he was greeted with an eerie silence, and he felt a chill run up his spine. “Kat? Harper?” He called as he opened the door. “Son of a bitch!” He ground out when he found nothing but an empty room. Harpers backpack was gone, and when he turned and stormed back into their bedroom – he found Kat’s gone as well - as well as his car keys. “Fuck!” He bellowed as he finished dressing in record time and ran toward the elevators.
Luke paced in front of the hotel, angrily waiting for the rental car to arrive. He grabbed his cell phone and called Desmond - his body as tense as a coiled spring.
“Lucas,” Desmond answered after the first ring. “I was just about to call…”
“Fuck, Des!” He barked, his teeth grinding in fury. “They’re gone!”
“What happened?” Desmond asked - his voice very low.
Luke ran his fingers through his hair and continued to pace – his mind going in a million different directions at once. This was definitely not good! Not freaking good at all! And Luke just wanted to punch something.
“They took my damned car when I was in the shower and took off! That’s what the hell happened.”
He heard Desmond sigh softly. “Luke, just calm down and think. Where do you think she would go?”
“I don’t know.” Luke answered, suddenly sounding broken. “I just don’t know.”
There was silence on the other end, and Luke thought that he had lost the connection, but a moment later Desmond spoke. “Lucas” he said softly. “I fear that it is imperative that we find them.”
Something about his friends tone caused Luke to stop in his tracks. “Des, what in the hell is going on? What have you found?” he asked, a knot forming in his stomach.
“Marcus is in New Orleans,” he said softly. “And I am afraid that what little information he has gathered, is not what we had hoped. This is much larger than we first thought.”
“What do you mean - larger?” Luke asked, not sure that he even wanted to know. Not with Kat and Harper gone – and his stomach clenched to the point that he thought he would be sick.
“Alexis’s Coven is much more powerful than we first suspected- and their influence is much stronger than we could have known.” He took a deep breath and sighed into the phone. “They have been gathering alliance with the Demon world for years,” he explained, and Luke cursed viciously – causing a couple that was passing by to gasp and hurry along.
Luke explained to Desmond what had happened at the motel, and his friend listened in silence.
“Marcus has a friend in New Orleans who is a witch - and she warned him of this.” He said finally, and Luke could tell that his friend was deeply troubled. “She informed Marcus that something big is happening in the supernatural world, and that they will do anything within their powers to stop it. All she knew was that the wheels have been put in motion - and that it would change things forever.”
“Shit.”
“I wish I had more – but that was all that she knew. She told Marcus that they had tried to bring her into their fold years ago - because of the powers that she possesses - but she thankfully refused their offer. She said that their magic was much too dark and dangerous. Lucas, I have the feeling that whatever is happening somehow involves us all.”
“Yeah,” Luke said distractedly as he caught sight of the rental agent pulling up. He told Desmond about the ball of light and electrical explosion that blasted Kat and Harper the first time that they had touched, and heard his friend’s sharp intake of breath. This was just getting worse and worse.
He took the keys from the agent and signed the forms that he held out to him with a nod. Slipping behind the wheel, he sighed. “My car just arrived,” he informed him. “I’m heading back. I’m going to see if Kat decided to go to her apartment to maybe pick up some stuff before going…shit. God knows where.” He truly hoped that his instincts where right, and that she was headed home. All he could get out of the garage attendant was that they had left the hotel and headed south towards the interstate.
“What do you need me to do?” Desmond asked.
“Just keep digg
ing.”
“Of course.” Desmond responded. “Have no doubt about that.”
“Where’s Abby?” Luke asked, pulling onto the interstate and bearing down on the gas, weaving in and out of the early morning traffic.
For the first time since their conversation had started - Desmond chuckled softly. “She’s out in the garden cutting flowers,” he said, his voice filled with affection. “Her Fey side is showing in the fact that she can grow just about anything - and insists on filling the house with the smelly things.” Luke grinned slightly, knowing that Desmond adored every little thing that the woman did. “She’s worried about you and Kat,” he remarked, his tone once again growing serious.
“Well, tell her that we’re fine, and that I’ll be bringing them home soon.” And by God, he swore - he would. He was not about to lose her. He. Was. Not.
“Lucas, I implore you to be careful,” Desmond warned softly.
“You know better than anyone just how careful I am,” Luke laughed – although it was forced, and Desmond scoffed into the phone a moment later.
“I know better than anyone what a hot-head you can be,” he threw back at him.
“Yes, I guess you do. But believe me; I won’t do anything to jeopardize Kat or her sister’s safety.”
“Ah, yes.” Desmond replied softly – his tone knowing. “How love does change a man.”
“You should know, my friend.”
“That I do.”
They said their goodbyes and Luke concentrated on not getting himself killed as he flew through traffic.
Chapter 10
It was already dark by the time Kat and Harper pulled up in front of her apartment building. Kat jumped from the SUV and grabbed their bags from the back seat, motioning for Harper to follow her. She wanted to grab her stuff and get back on the road as quickly as possible.