Awakening Kiss (Watcher's Kiss Book 4) (16 page)

C
HAPTER
16

T
HE HOURS OF
E
NZA
’
S SHIFT
zipped by the next day. With Pandora playing Florida-Georgia Line, bread rising, and chocolate melting, she was in her perfect work mode.

Yesterday had been a deluge of information—but she’d handled it. She’d peppered Rhys with any questions that popped into her head as the hours flew by. He’d answered in his usual manner, patiently and disarmingly sweet. Eventually he’d driven her home, promising to stop by at the end of her shift today.

Rhys.
Dreams of him had haunted her night. Her dreams were always weird, but these were really odd. The two of them fell endlessly through a rainbow-hued portal. He’d held her close and she’d felt safe, despite the sense that neither of them knew where they were going to land or what would happen when they got there.

She shook her head now as she sealed the bag of flour that she was done with for today. A low rumble of a throat clearing had her whirling around.

Rhys stood there in the doorway, just like the other week, filling the space and looking insanely hot. A dark gray T-shirt hugged his pecs and biceps, which flexed as he folded his arms. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Enza smiled. “So they just let you walk on back here now?”

“Yep. I promised to fix any problems with the computers or register, indefinitely.”

“Wow.” Enza used a paper towel to push flour and crumbs into the garbage. “You should know that Meena purchased the best equipment and an extended service agreement, so you probably won’t have to lift a finger.”

He winked. “I saw what she bought.”

“You’re bad.” Enza shook her head. Glancing to the window, she caught a view of the brick building next to theirs and frowned. “Is it raining?” The sky had darkened to foreboding gray.

“Not yet, but it’s threatening to. The air has that rain smell.”

She gazed out at the murky air. “I know exactly what you mean. And darn, I didn’t grab my umbrella—whoa.” A sharp crack of thunder boomed overhead.

“There’s no rush to leave. We can hang out. In front or back here.” His dark eyes twinkled.

“True.” She bit her lip, tempted to hide back here with him and ignore the storm and her co-workers. But part of her wanted to get away from the familiar. “I’d rather go somewhere else.”

He took a half step closer. The air swirled with the scent of his cologne and soap. “Anything you want.”

So sexy and strong. She needed to get a grip, fast. What was it about him that made her as swoony as a teenager? “I saved you a chocolate chunk cookie,” she blurted, grabbing it from its hiding spot behind her row of backup timers.

“You sure you’re not some kind of cooking fairy?” He took it, holding her fingers in his for a second.

“What?” A giggle burst from her, breaking the sexual tension. He was so laid back. “Is that even a thing?”

His gaze flicked to the exposed pipes lining the ceiling. “Nah. But you could be the first.”

“You’re confusing me.” She stepped closer and couldn’t stop the damn smile.

“And you’re spoiling me. I gotta warn you, I could get used to this.”

“I have more. For the guys,” she said. “I thought, if we go to your place today, or tomorrow…”

He took a huge bite and closed his eyes. “Best cookie ever.” He opened his eyes and set them on her like beacons that could see into her soul. “And you can come over today, tomorrow, and the next day—”

“Hi!” Meena’s voice was overly loud as she walked into the kitchen. “I just wanted to tell you, maybe you two should go before it pours. It’s like, gonna be epic.”

“Okay, twist my arm.” Enza wiped down the work table one last time and hung up her apron. She gave her torso a quick inspection for streaks of flour or dough. Not that it would matter, if they were about to walk into a deluge.

“Ready?” Rhys asked, his voice low and too sexy to be human. A shiver of excitement raced down her spine. The reality no longer scared her. Instead it filled her with an anticipation she never expected.

“Yup.” She grabbed the box of cookies for the guys, carefully wrapped to avoid breaking, and zipped it into the backpack.

They walked through the store, which wasn’t busy this time of afternoon. Rhys had one hand on the doorknob when the skies opened up.

The rain didn’t start gradually. It was instant and forceful as if a deity in the sky had turned on a faucet at full blast. Water hit the pavement so hard that it splashed back up, followed by a rare showering of hail.

Enza stared at the blueberry-sized pieces of ice that quickly covered the sidewalk. “We almost never get hail! Meena, check this out!”

“Oh, wow.” Meena rushed over to take in the rapidly melting weather phenomenon, then at the passers-by running for cover. She pushed open the door, heedless of getting soaked, and stepped out. “This would be a great time for a coffee break, get inside, out of the rain! Warm lattes and lots of chairs!” She gestured to anyone who dared peek up from their huddled scurrying. “Come on in, stay dry.”

A few people hurried in, shaking water off their clothes. Enza and Rhys let them pass, then Enza pulled him outside. The shop had a small overhang where several people huddled to the left and right of the door.

Enza and Rhys squeezed behind the crowd and pressed against the glass window. It was semidry and the hail, thankfully, had slowed.

“Guess you were ready to leave work, huh?” Rhys chuckled.

“Yes. And it never rains that hard for that long. There’s always a lull.” Enza stood close, absorbing his heat. The storm had broken the stifling air, and after days of soppy humidity, plus the splash of rain carried on the wind, it felt cooler than it had in days. “Where’d you park?”

“Cabbed it today.” Rhys glanced over his shoulder into the shop, then swung his attention back to the street. “Gotta admire Meena, taking advantage of a storm.”

“She sees everything as an opportunity.” Enza grinned. Several other buildings on the busy boulevard had awnings or overhangs, and little clusters of pedestrians huddled beneath each one. “Look, the hail stopped already. In a few minutes, we can head to—”

Crack!

A purple-white bolt of lightning split the sky, and thunder boomed so loudly that Enza squeaked. “Thank goodness for lightning rods,” she said, peering south toward the downtown skyscrapers. “That looked close.”

“Let’s hope they do their job. Better yet, I hope this stays over the lake.”

Another bright spear illuminated the sky and she whirled to stare at it. Or rather, where it had been. The cloud above it churned like a mass of dark, curling fog. Like it was brewing more…

More electricity. Sparks. Lightning. Power.

She blinked rapidly as a warm sensation spread over her arms and melted into her chest. Locked into an unseeing gaze with the thundercloud, she suddenly saw the brilliant mix of energy inside. The positive and negative charges Miranda had talked about. They zoomed around at breakneck speed like tiny stars, careening around and then into each other.

Crack!
The sparks collided in a burst of brightness, and another bolt of lightning shot from the cloud.

Enza gasped, unable to look away. “I see them,” she whispered in wonder. “Like before, except they’re clearer now.”

“Enza?” Rhys’s voice sounded far away. Concerned.

Another purple-white flash struck nearby. One block over, a building’s rooftop air conditioning unit gave a booming noise and caught fire. People shrieked around them, pointing.

“Too close,” Enza murmured. “Can’t hit that close. Move away.”

“Enza.” Rhys’s hands were warm on her shoulders. “What are you doing?”

“It can’t hit that close.” Enza was only half aware of what she was saying. Warmth flowed through her arms and chest, creating an urge to help out in some way. There was no more doubt about the purpose behind what she could do. What had seemed silly before now crystallized into actions that made sense. “It needs to go out over the lake, like you said.” Over the lake.
Move.
She studied the cloud, which was moving east toward Lake Michigan, just not fast enough.

“Enza, baby.
Bella.
” Rhys rubbed her arms up and down. “Unless you know what you’re doing, I need you to stop. This is too dangerous.”

“I know what I have to do.” She didn’t want another lightning bolt to hit the city. And she inherently understood she could prevent more damage.

The particles in the cloud surged again, smashing wildly like pinballs. In that split second, electricity flared and morphed into a bolt. With speed too fast for a human to track, it stretched down toward Clark Street.

But Enza saw it unfold. It taunted her, called to her.

No!
Her veins buzzed with the need to redirect the threat.
No! Not here!
She pictured the huge lake, whose waters would be whipping into a dangerous, dark froth right now.
Go there.

The lightning bolt winked out.

Behind her, Rhys growled in her ear, hands on her biceps. “Enza. Holy fucking shit.” He turned her to face him. “Are you okay?”

Enza peered at the space in the sky where now only harmless rain fell. “I…”

“You.” He ran his hands up to her neck and back down her arms. “That’s…all you.”

“Yes.” She laid her hands on his broad chest, feeling stunned and like she should be freaked out, but wasn’t. “And I’m fine. I mean, I think I am. I can—”

“Hold that thought.” Warning in his tone, Rhys’s hand slid down to her waist, keeping her close.

“Um…” She looked up at him, about to ask why, and noticed a laser like focus on his handsome face.

He stared across the street at the Speedy Dry Cleaners, which was lucky enough to have an awning that spanned the length of their storefront. Among the people taking shelter there were two large men. As big as Rhys and Brenin. They stood, motionless, returning the scrutiny.

“Who are they?” Enza whispered.

“Deserati demons.” Rhys leaned down as if to nuzzle her ear, but never stopped facing the men, and spoke in a barely-audible tone. “And by the way, their hearing is as sharp as mine, but right now the rain and street noise is most likely interfering.”

“Can we whisper?”

“For now, yes.”

Enza peered through the rain. Both men had dark hair and wore polo shirts and jeans. Nothing about their appearance indicated anything creepy. “Why are they just staring?”

“They’re sizing me up. Maybe you too. Goddamn it.” Soft words in her ear, too quiet for the people around them to hear.

She gulped. “Me?”

“Unfortunately yes.” His mouth set in a grim line. “Let’s go.” He steered her out from the shelter of the overhang, into the rain that was now a steady drizzle.

“You said they’re usually good, right?” She slipped her hand into his.

“Usually. But I’m getting a rotten vibe.” Clasping her hand tightly, he lengthened his stride and she hurried to keep up.

She peeked over her shoulder and spotted the two men—er, demons—behind them by half a block and still across the street. They looked homicidal, huge, and determined.
Not friendly.
She gulped. “What do we do?”

“Lose them ASAP, without endangering anyone else.” His tone was grim, all business. “This may involve going to some places you’ve never been.” His strides ate up the sidewalk. “I need you to trust me, Enza. No matter what you see. Got it?”

Her breathing was choppy as she rushed to keep up. Trust him. She absolutely did. He’d done nothing but help her. “Yes.” She squeezed his hand. “I trust you completely.”

C
HAPTER
17

R
HYS PULLED
E
NZA DOWN THE
block, all senses on alert. The two Deserati males followed them, purposefully, but not getting too close. Yet.

“What was that all about?” he growled as he kept a tight hold on Enza’s hand.

“I-I don’t know.” Her voice carried a breathy panic. “I was looking at the cloud and suddenly I saw the particles that Miranda told us about. I saw them, and I knew I could do something with them. To make the lightning land somewhere else.”

He shook his head and turned a corner, stealing a glare behind them. Still the two trailed. “Okay, cool, but today you just had to try it again?”

“Well…yeah. I didn’t want any more to hit the ground or buildings.” She was half jogging now in order to keep up. “Was that bad?”

“Since we just happened to have some non-friendly observers, yeah.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t even think. I just did it.” She glanced at the stores they passed. “Where are we going?”

“Need a safe house. There are two million people awake and running around this city. Can’t chance anyone seeing a demon fight. And we can’t lead them to either of our homes.”

“You know where to—oh!” She gasped as he stopped abruptly at one of the city’s crazy six-way intersections, where three major thoroughfares created a traffic nightmare.

He looked around, reaching out with his hearing and smell. The rain was helping to cover their tracks, but that shit worked both ways. It also prevented him from accurately gauging where their pursuers were. No visual. And the exhaust fumes and continuing drizzle masked scents. He exhaled a low curse.

“Where are they?”

“Don’t know.” The light changed and he guided her across one of the streets on the right, then the next. A row of stores lined the boulevard, but many had upper floors that were rented as homes or businesses. Plus, narrow walkways between them led to alleys snaking behind.

A maze of possible outlets, escapes, and places to observe while hidden.

They walked into one restaurant, a small diner with a bright red lunch counter. The hostess took in their soaked state with wide, sympathetic eyes. “That was some storm, huh? What can I—”

“We need to get to the back,” Rhys said in a low voice, not stopping.

“I’m sorry, you can’t go through there.” Alarm spread over her face. “Customers need to stay in the main area.”

“Please, we need to get out another way.” Enza put on a sweet voice. “We won’t be any trouble.”