“I think you’re the one that needs to be safe. You’re the one going off to fight in a war. I’ll be fine, Rourk.” She forced a smile. “Thaddeus is coming to visit, remember?”
“I know. I just worry about you.” Rourk adjusted the bag on his back, and hoped his feelings weren’t too transparent. He didn’t want her to see the anguish and inner turmoil raging inside of him. “I’ll let you know as soon as I land.”
“’Kay. See you soon,” Keegan said, but the way her voice cracked betrayed her emotions. There was so much strength in his petite wife.
“It’s only three months,” he said reassuringly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. He said it, even though he knew it would feel like an eternity to both of them.
“Hurry home.”
Rourk nodded and waved. He walked across the parking lot towards his team, many of whom filed inside when they saw him coming, clapping him on the back and greeting him.
Before he went inside, he turned around one last time. Keegan was still sitting there watching with Athena on her lap, the dog’s head sticking out the window. He knew his chosen wouldn’t drive away until the door closed behind him, so he waved again, and then willed his feet to move forward one step at a time.
Leaving Keegan was always the hardest thing for him to do, especially when that heavy glass door shut behind him.
CHAPTER 3
Rourk stared out the window of the plane and sighed in frustration. Why couldn’t he shake the uneasy feeling he’d had ever since leaving home yesterday? It was more than the normal dread of leaving Keegan. It was something deep in the pit of his stomach, and he didn’t like it one bit. After they’d said goodbye, he called Gavin, a dark elf he worked with, and asked if he would mind keeping an eye on her. Elves knew never to brush off a gut feeling. They trusted their intuition. He was grateful he had someone he could count on. Of course, he’d rather he was with her. It killed him not being there for her.
Gavin was the next best thing.
Leaning his head back against the seat, Rourk closed his eyes and thought of his chosen. Relief washed over him. She was sitting in a cafe with her best friend, Anna, a powerful witch. He knew she was safe with her. A smile spread across Keegan’s face; she could sense he was thinking of her. He loved that, no matter how vast the distance was between them, she was as close as closing his eyes. I can’t wait to get back to you.
Eighty-nine days. Have you landed?
No, I’m still on the plane. There was a delay in Dubai.
Jealous.
Don’t be. We were stuck in the airport.
How are you doing?
Okay. Just missing you.
Me too.
I hate to go, but I need all my energy. We’ll be landing soon. I’ll contact you tomorrow.
Her full lips pouted and more than anything, Rourk wished he was there to make her smile.
Thank you for letting me know I was on your mind.
You always are.
Rourk opened his eyes and looked around. Even though they could talk to and see each other, it was draining, so they tried not to use the gift too often. He would need his power at its highest for this rotation, which was why they resorted mostly to emails and occasional phone calls when he was deployed. It took a lot of self-control not to contact her on a regular basis, but he knew it was vital he stay at peak performance.
Most of the guys were still asleep. Rourk knew he should be resting, but he couldn’t seem to relax because of the feeling of unease that had settled deep into his bones. It was as if something was telling him he needed to be home. But he couldn’t tell his team sergeant, O’Grady, “Hey, sorry, gotta miss this rotation. Bad feeling.” The military didn’t work that way. Life didn’t work that way.
His brother-in-law’s words came to mind. Sometimes things just have to play themselves out. Thaddeus was an extremely powerful sixteen-year-old seer, who also happened to have warrior blood in his veins. If something bad was going to happen, chances were Thaddeus already knew about it. He had been known to bend the seer code on occasion, when it came to his own flesh and blood. But he also walked a tight line. Rourk knew he would not alert him unless he thought there was something Rourk could do to prevent it. There wasn’t a hell of a lot he could do halfway around the world. Maybe that was why Thaddeus had decided to visit Seattle. He’d never been before.
He gripped the sides of the chairs so hard his knuckles ached.
Fate had taken his mother away when he was young. A drunk driver had killed her, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Rourk pushed the thoughts aside and focused on his breathing, clearing his mind. Getting worked up would not help anyone. He had to compartmentalize. Perhaps the bad feeling was more about him and the mission than Keegan. He could only hope.
Twenty minutes later, the landing gear thudded into the down position, and the plane banked. Not long after the wheels of the plane touched down, the guys started to wake. Rourk stared out the window as the plane taxied to a stop at the end of the runway. It was the middle of the night, so everything was dark with pinpoints of light here and there. He could see other aircraft parked in the distance and lots of vehicles shuttling around. Bagram Airfield was one of the largest bases in Afghanistan and operated around the clock.
Stitch sat next to him. He stretched his arms above his head, cracking his back. “Back to ass-crack-istan. Kicking ass and taking names.” He yawned.
“We’ll see.” Rourk stood up to grab his bag from the overhead. They didn’t always get to see action. Most of the time, they were guarding a VIP, or securing a facility. Not that either wasn’t dangerous, because it was. On the last rotation, one of the guys, their warrant officer, took a bullet through his thigh. He’s back in the states still rehabbing, pissed off he’s missing a deployment.
But rumor had it this rotation they would spend a lot of time in the mountains. Hunting the enemy. Just the thought caused a rush of adrenaline. Rourk was at home in the mountains. And hunting the enemy was what he did best. What they all did best. He was a member of an elite Special Forces A team. This was a split mission, which meant split team. There were only six guys—a cell. Sometimes they worked together as a full team, but mostly they were on their own. He preferred the smaller team, but Rourk had always been a loner.
“I just wish the damn plane ride wasn’t so long.” Stitch complained. “All I can say is thank god for Ambien.”
Rourk smiled. Stitch was a character. Out of all the guys on his team, he got along with him the best. Not that he didn’t like the other guys—he did. Stitch reminded him of his best friend, Tommy. He was very laid back, but also a solid team guy. Rourk trusted him to have his back. They’d come to the team at the same time, which helped forge their friendship. As the new guys on the team, they were often targeted to be on the receiving end of pranks. Stitch just laughed them off, but Rourk knew he was filing them away and would get back at the guys at some point. That was something Rourk was looking forward to seeing.
Once the ramp was lowered, they deplaned and met their two escorts, who were also part of the team that they were replacing. The air was thick, but thankfully not too hot. By the time they left in June, it would be as hot as Hades. Brief introductions were made, and everyone walked over to the two vans waiting to take them through the in-processing. This normally long and painful process was drastically abbreviated for Rourk‘s team, mostly due to their escorts’ efforts prior to their arrival. As the vans headed towards the compound where they’d spend the night, Rourk watched the Air Force personnel use huge fork- lifts to off-load the large pallets of equipment that had accompanied them on the flight. It was amazing how many moving parts there were in making anything in the military happen.
CHAPTER 4
Keegan waited anxiously at the gate. She missed her younger brother something fierce. Even though she would never admit it to his face. There was an unwritten rule: siblings rarely allowed their true feelings to show. They hid them behind tra
sh talking and pretending like they just didn’t care. But she knew Thaddeus loved her as much as she loved him. As far as families went, she was beyond lucky.
Her heart rate sped up a bit when a sea of people came down the hallway. She scanned the crowd, but didn’t see him anywhere. He’d better not have missed his flight and not told her. Maybe, he is still getting his luggage. Although, he usually only traveled with a carry on. One of their father’s crazy rules. Or maybe it wasn’t even his flight.
“Keegan!” A voice that sounded familiar, but deeper, caused a grin to spread across her face.
She spun on her heel and Keegan was surprised she had to look up. Somehow, he had managed to get behind her without her noticing. “What the hell have they been feeding you?” Keegan pulled her brother in for a hug. Last time she had seen him, they were barely the same height. Now he was at least 5’9”, which was about the average height for a male elf, and he was only sixteen. His shoulders were broader and his voice deeper. The only thing that appeared to be the same was his impish grin, and the same blue-green eyes as her own. Her brother was beautiful, but she would never tell him that. He would think she was crazy or making fun of him, but it was true. There was something about his face that made you want to stare. He’d always appeared older than his age because of his gift. He’d been born an old soul. Strength and wisdom had radiated off him at an early age. When she was younger, she’d been sort of jealous of his gift. He was so important to their society of elves, but now she was awed and saddened by his gift. Being a seer was a heavy burden.
She pulled back to get a better look at him. His auburn hair was slightly longer and tousled, sticking up all over the place. But it looked stylish and not messy on him. He was wearing a loose pair of faded jeans and a distressed white long johns shirt with a Batman T-shirt over it. “You look more like dad the older you get.”
“And you’re still as ugly as you always were.” He shifted his backpack and draped his arm around her shoulder as they merged in with the crowd.
“Missed you too.” Keegan narrowed her eyes at him, and pulled one of his pointed ears.
“You know I’m just messing with you.”
“I know.” Keegan wrapped her arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze.
“So why did you finally decide to visit? I’ve only been bugging you forever.”
Thaddeus shrugged. “Just felt I should be here.”
Keegan stopped in her tracks, causing someone behind her to mutter a curse as they nearly slammed into them. She turned towards her brother. Her heart dropping to her toes. Those words coming from her brother were not something to brush off. “Thaddeus, I don’t like the sounds of that. Is something going to happen to Rourk?” She tried to brace herself for his answer, but she was trembling.
Thaddeus tugged her forward. “You’re blocking traffic. And as far as I know, nothing is going to happen to Rourk.”
She drew in a relieved breath. “Then it’s me?”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so vain. The world doesn’t revolve around you, Keegan.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly. “You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?”
“Nope. Just enjoy your visit with your brother and don’t over-analyze it. It’s good to see you, by the way.”
“You too.” Keegan sighed. She knew her brother wasn’t going to tell her anything more. She had to trust that if there was anything he could do to prevent something bad happening in the future, he would do it. He’d done it before for her, and she knew he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. He claimed that his visions were not always reality. They were just one potential outcome, and sometimes just changing one moving part could change everything. And not always for the better.
It put her mind at ease when he told her nothing was going to happen to Rourk. Slightly. Her brother’s gift was a burden, and she wasn’t going to add to it by bugging him even more. She would just enjoy the time she had with him.
Letting him off the hook, she switched gears. “So what’s been going on with you? Any girls in your life?”
They stepped outside, and the crisp air hit their face. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining, but it was overcast. Keegan smiled; even the gloomy Seattle weather couldn’t dampen her good mood.
A slow smile spread across his face. “Well, there is this one girl that I met at the library, Emma. We’ve been chatting, but nothing more than that.”
“What does she look like?” Keegan had no idea what her brother’s taste was in girls, but she also knew it wouldn’t matter once he met his chosen. His ideal mate had been predetermined, probably before his birth, so anyone between now and then would just be filling in time.
“She’s petite, long blonde curly hair and athletic figure. Human.”
“Interesting.”
“Not really. So how are Anna and Tommy?”
“The usual. Madly in love and crazy as loons.” Keegan laughed as she pulled out of the parking spot.
They caught up on family gossip on the drive to her house. She was excited for him to see her first home with Rourk.
After giving him a quick tour of the small house, Keegan started a fire, and then ordered a pizza. They sank into the couch with sodas and chips.
“So have you gotten any better at shielding your gift?” Keegan asked curiously.
“Not going to happen. I’ve just accepted it’s how my brain and body works.”
Keegan took a swig and wiped the corner of her mouth. “That sucks.”
“Yeah, but I guess if I could turn it off, I might miss something important.”
“Still, it has to be hard.”
“It’s all I know.” Thaddeus set his soda down on the coffee table, not bothering to use a coaster.
“How’s Warrick? I see him on Skype once a week, but it’s not the same as actually watching him grow up.”
Thaddeus shook his head and grinned. “That boy is giving mom and dad a run for their money. He’s a handful, to say the least. When I went to leave, Warrick kept using the wind to shut the car door before I could get in. I almost missed my flight, because he didn’t want me to leave.”
Keegan covered her mouth, laughing. “Gods, I miss his little face.”
“Mom says he’s worse than the two of us combined.”
“I know! I can’t believe he got kicked out of kindergarten and Mom has to homeschool him. I can’t even imagine how that is going.”
“Yeah, you don’t want to know. Mom’s about ready to pull her hair out.”
“Any more progression with his gift?”
“I guess that’s one way to say it.”
Thaddeus sat back on the couch, looking relaxed. “It’s a powerful tool, controlling the elements. Or I guess you could say having no control of the elements. You should hear the weather man. It’s hilarious. Unexplained flooding, cold front moving through in July, a twister in December.” Thaddeus chuckled. “Anytime he gets overly excited or angry, the weather changes. The news is blaming it on Mother Nature and global warming, when really it’s an out-of-control six year old. Dad doesn’t know what to do with him. None of his normal tricks are working.”
Keegan felt a wave of sadness wash over her. Her baby brother was growing up, and she was missing it all. “I wish I were there to witness it. I’ll have to come visit soon.”
“You really should. They all miss you.” He paused for a beat. “The house is so quiet now. I almost even miss your horrible singing.”
Keegan’s eyes widened in mock surprise, and she held her hand to her chest. “Really?” She belted out a couple of lines from her favorite song, and Thaddeus glared at her.
“Okay, maybe I wouldn’t go that far.”
Keegan nudged his shoulder. “We should sing a duet.”
“That will never happen.”
“Pizza.” Thaddeus jumped to his feet seconds before the doorbell chimed.
Having Thaddeus visit helped get her mind off how much she missed Rourk. Just thinking his name br
ought the pain back to the surface. He’d only been gone two weeks, and it already felt like a lifetime.
Keegan looked up and noticed her brothers face looked paler than usual. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I kinda did.” He set the pizza down on the table and dropped into the chair.
“Wh—“ Keegan stopped herself once it hit her what her brother meant. “Did you tell him?”
He shook his head no. “I know you think I’m a horrible person, but you don’t understand. Move one piece of the puzzle and you never know what you will change. What can be set in motion. Gods, why did I have to be born with this hell?” He dropped his head into his hands.
Keegan was momentarily stunned into silence. Thaddeus never let his emotions show. He was the master at keeping his face still. It was strange to see his walls collapse before her eyes. “I don’t think you’re horrible at all.”
She sat in the seat next to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. “It’s not your fault. You can’t save everyone.”
“I know that.” He snapped.
“What’s his fate?” Keegan asked, not meeting his eyes.
“I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this.” Thaddeus grumbled.
Keegan sat back in the chair. She could clearly see the anguish in his face. She couldn’t imagine living with that every single day of her life. “I understand. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Slowly, he lifted his head. “Gun shot to the chest. He’s going to deliver a pizza to a party…It’s an accident. But if I told him not to deliver to that address, not only would he think I was crazy and probably call the cops, but someone else could get sent in his place to deliver. Someone whose time isn’t up.”
Unconsciously, Keegan pulled on the hem of her dress, and said softly. “Life is as long or as short as it needs to be.”
Thaddeus looked down at his hands. “It’s not always easy to remember that.” He leaned across the table and flipped the pizza box open. “Especially, when it happens to someone you care about.”