A Chance for Charity (The Immortal Ones) (27 page)

“
I’m going to assume that
was private,” Link chuckled.

Marcus answered him, without taking his lips
away from Eve’s.

“
You’re right. I don’t want
to know the details,” Link repeated the message aloud.

“
Hey... tell James and
Catherine to start a batch of pancakes as soon as they get home.
I’m starving,” Cozmo told his brother, who was still a bit
preoccupied. “How does that sound Lizzy girl,” Cozmo softened his
voice as he addressed the Shape-Shifter who was sitting silently on
his lap.

“
It’ll be light soon,” Link
muttered.

I glanced at the clock on the dash. It was
getting close to six o’clock in the morning. “I suppose so,” I
shrugged.

“
I feel it,” Link
whispered.

“
You feel what?” I
puzzled.

“
I feel the light coming,”
he answered.

How do you
feel
light? I wondered,
silently, as I pulled into the driveway. James had already parked
in the garage and I maneuvered Link’s vehicle into the empty space
that remained.

We all noisily piled out, clambering our way
into the house and toward the kitchen.

Catherine stood at the counter, stirring the
contents of a large mixing bowl in front of her. “Pancakes,” she
said. “I distinctly heard Marcus’s voice, in my head, saying that
Cozmo wants pancakes.”

“
He’s got a new power,” Eve
beamed.

“
I figured as much. Well
Cozmo... I started them... You finish them,” Catherine smiled and
pushed the bowl toward him. “The pan’s hot,” she pointed at the
stovetop.

“
Come with me Lizabelle,” I
called out to the fox. “Let’s get you some clothes.” I said as I
walked out of the kitchen.

The animal followed me up the stairs and to
my room.

“
I’m thinking comfy,” I
stated as I entered my closet to pick out a pair of pajama pants
and a t-shirt for each of us.

“
You can
change
, and dress, in
here. I’ll go into the bathroom so you can have some privacy,” I
explained, and set the items on the floor – in front of
her.

After I changed my own clothes, brushed my
teeth, washed my face, and brushed out my tangled hair – I walked
back to the closet and knocked on the door.

“
Is there anything else I
can get you? Anything else you need?” I asked as I cracked open the
door.

“
No, this is good. Thank
you,” a soft whispery voice responded. She eyed me warily. “Why
aren’t you screaming at me, hating me for what my brothers did to
you?”

“
You tried to stop them.
You are not to blame for their actions.”

“
I’m so sorry... I followed
them here. I tried to talk them out of it. They wouldn’t listen to
reason,” her voice strained as she tried to maintain a measure of
control over it.

“
It is enough that you
tried. Thank you,” I smiled.

“
Thank you for being so
nice to me,” she whispered.

“
I have no reason to treat
you otherwise. Anyway, I don’t think I have a choice, but to accept
you with open arms. Cozmo has taken quite a shine to
you.”

A small smile appeared on her face. “He
has,” she agreed.

“
Let’s go find him. Those
pancakes smell heavenly,” I winked at her.

Lizabelle nodded her head in agreement.

As we walked down the stairs I looked out
the window. I could tell that the sun would soon peek its head up
over the mountain. There was a dim glow far in the distance. I
wondered, again, how Link could feel the light – when now, thirty
minutes or so later, my heightened senses could barely perceive
it.

Lizabelle and I walked into the kitchen,
where Cozmo was flipping pancakes with expertise. He scooped up the
three finished cakes in the pan and added them to the stack he’d
already built up.

“
Hungry?” Cozmo asked,
without turning around.

He poured three more perfect circles of
batter into the sizzling pan.

“
Are they edible?” Marcus
quipped from where he was seated with Eve.

“
Don’t worry brother. I’ll
make a special batch just for you. Actually, why don’t you just
take over,” he said, and handed the spatula to Marcus.

“
With pleasure,” Marcus
smiled. “I’ll show you how it’s supposed to be done.”

Cozmo slid over to where Lizabelle and I
stood, and immediately wrapped his arms around her waist.

“
How are you feeling Lizzy
girl?” he asked with concern.

“
Better, now that I am not
shifting so often and I’m back in clothes again,” she smiled a
small smile. Sadness crept through each of her words. She sighed,
heavily, and rested her head on Cozmo’s shoulder.

“
Where’s Link? He’s not out
running laps is he?” I joked.

“
He went upstairs to
change, right after you did,” Eve answered.

I spun on my heels and headed back upstairs.
“Be back in a minute,” I called out, over my shoulder.

The door to his room was closed. I could
hear him rummaging around inside. “Whatcha doin’?” I asked, in a
sing-songy voice as I pushed open the door.

He was going through the contents of his top
dresser drawer. Digging around for something.

“
Looking for my sunglasses.
My eyes feel like I’ve just had them dilated by the optometrist.
It’s as if too much light is coming in.”

“
Weird...”

“
Have you ever had your
eyes dilated?”

“
No. Twenty–Twenty before
and better than anyone could imagine now,” I pointed to my
eyes.

“
Well, your eyes are really
sensitive to light for a few hours after they put in the drops.
They always give you these dark, plastic, disposable glasses to
wear afterward. Aah, here they are,” he sighed, pulling a pair of
sunglasses out of the drawer and sliding them onto his face in one
fluid movement. “Much better,” he blinked rapidly behind the dark
lenses.

“
Ready to go
downstairs?”

“
Not just yet,” Link smiled
that perfect brilliant smile and I immediately melted into his
arms. “How about a Christmas kiss?” he whispered into my
hair.

“
You don’t have to ask me
twice,” I sighed, tilting my head up to his.

“
God I love you,” he
murmured, his lips against mine.

“
Hey that’s my line,” I
smiled and moved my arms up, to wrap them around his
neck.

I weaved my fingers through his thick blonde
hair and pressed my body against his, kissing him, tugging at his
bottom lip with my own, wishing the embrace would last forever.

“
Mmmm,” I hummed against
his lips, still kissing, lost in the feeling of
us
.

“
Merry Christmas
beautiful,” he whispered and pressed his forehead to
mine.

“
Merry Christmas,” I
echoed.

The tender moment was
interrupted by a voice, ringing clear in my head.
These pancakes are getting cold down
here
, it announced.

“
Marcus,” we both said at
the same time.

“
You heard him too? He must
be getting better at his new skill,” I noted.

“
I guess we should go,”
Link sighed and held out his hand, immediately linking his fingers
with mine.

“
I guess,” I returned the
sigh and leaned forward for one more kiss.

“
He’s about to come get
us,” Link warned.

“
How do you know that?” I
asked.

“
I hear him walking toward
the stairs,” he answered.

“
So do I. But how do you?”
I shook my head.

“
I just do,” he
shrugged.

“
Weird...” I uttered in
confusion, for the second time since I’d entered his
room.

“
I know...” Link trailed
off and pulled on my hand, leading me out the door and down the
stairs.

Marcus was standing on the bottom step. He
took one look at Link, and quipped, “Future’s so bright?”

“
I gotta wear shades,” Link
smiled.

“
Wow, Charity, he actually
got an Eighties reference... impressive. But what’s with the
shades?” Cozmo asked.

“
His eyes are bugging him,”
I explained.

“
Lincoln, you should allow
James to give you a thorough examination later. You had quite an
experience last night,” Catherine suggested.

She made no attempt to hide the concern that
was openly displayed on her face, and in her voice.

“
I’m inclined to agree,”
added James.

“
I shall comply with your
request,” Link uttered in an overly staunch tone, then smiled and
said, “Later, I promise. It’s Christmas morning. Let’s eat and open
some presents.”

All eight of us were gathered in the
kitchen. Once Marcus was finished with the last batch of pancakes,
he joined Eve, James, and Catherine at the round table that joined
the kitchen to the living room. Cozmo, Lizabelle, Link and I sat at
the counter and we all devoured the meal in relative silence.

The quiet moment gave me time to reflect on
the previous night’s events. I had altered Lincoln somehow. I knew
it. I had saved his life by giving him my blood. But had I damaged
him?

I glanced at Link. He was leaning back in
his chair, massaging his temples. His eyes were closed, behind the
dark shades he still wore. A slight throb began to percolate in my
head. It was a steady thump... no, thud... no, beating of a drum.
No, that wasn’t it either. It was a pulsating... a pulse... Link’s
pulse!

I could sense every drop of my blood, as it
was being pumped through Link’s veins! How was that possible? I’d
have to ask James if anything similar had ever happened to him.

“
Time for presents,” Link
said slowly.

I watched as he rubbed at his eyes, then
blink repeatedly.

“
You sure you don’t want to
rest for awhile? We’ve officially been awake for over twenty-four
hours. It’s hard on me sometimes. It’s gotta be difficult for you
to even keep those eyes of yours open,” I worried.

“
Actually, I don’t really
feel tired. I just have a slight headache and my eyes are a bit
sensitive.”

“
And you’re not hungry,” I
added looking at his plate

“
I just don’t seem to have
the taste for pancakes this morning,” he said, as he pushed the
one, half eaten, pancake around the plate with his fork.

“
Come with me,” I held out
my hand. “Let’s go lie down for a little while. Presents can wait
until later.”

“
Rest, Lincoln,” Catherine
agreed.

Link and I retreated to my bedroom and
immediately snuggled under the covers of my bed. We lay on our
sides, my back pressed firmly into his chest, and Link’s arm draped
across my side - my favorite cuddle position. Actually anywhere,
spent wrapped in Link’s arms, could be considered my favorite
position. I sighed, deeply satisfied, as Link drew me even closer
to him.

I closed my eyes and listened to the rhythm
of my blood, as it pulsated through my love – a lullaby that had me
soon drifting off to sleep.

The light woke me. It was a single, dazzling
ray of sunlight, which beamed through my partially closed shutters,
and concentrated itself on my closed eyelids. The brilliant glow
made its way through layers of my flesh, to tell my brain to
wake-up.

“
I’m awake,” I grumbled to
the sun, “and I’m alone,” I mumbled as I sat up in my vacated bed
and gazed around my empty room.

chapter seventeen

SOMETHING ALTOGETHER NEW

He was near – in the house – I was sure of
it. I could still feel the steady rhythm of his heart. This new and
unfamiliar connection to Link was bizarre, comforting but bizarre.
It was a homing beacon of sorts, a metal detector... a Link
detector.

As I exited my room and then descended the
stairs, I just knew I was getting closer to him with every step
that I took. A quick scan of the main level turned up no one. I
closed my eyes and allowed my “Link detector" to take over, turning
my head to the left and then to the right.

His signal got stronger.

My thoughts turned to our soundproof,
windowless Game Room and I walked down another flight of stairs. I
paused just a moment, when I reached the door, resting my hands on
the surface in front of me. I could feel him strongest there - he
was on the other side of the door. I was sure of it. The
realization sent a shiver through my body.

I closed my eyes again and concentrated on
Lincoln. He was exerting himself, but just slightly. There was a
smile on his face. Not my favorite brilliant smile, that lights up
his whole face and immediately brings a smile to my own, but a warm
confident smile. He was talking to someone, but I couldn’t tell to
whom.

I opened the door.

James, Marcus, Cozmo, and Link turned to
stare at me. Each one of them held a different sharp weapon in his
hand. The targets on the other side of the room were nearly full of
them. Well, that explained the slight exertion.

“
You’re awake,” Link beamed
at me. “It’s afternoon sleepy girl. You were exhausted.”