Chase 'n' Ana (5 page)

“tell me what you want me to do”. The rest of what she said was a mystery. “Do?” he

asked, feeling like a clod.

“Yes. Do. Our deal was that I would work for you. Remember?”

“Oh, yeah. Right. Well…” He looked around. “Uh, I guess the place could stand a

cleaning. If you’re up to it, that is.”

“Absolutely,” she replied with a grin. “Now, you just scoot on to whatever you

need to do and I’ll take care of it. Do you want me to cook?”

“Uh, sure, if you want.” Chase was as unaccustomed to having someone in his

space as a coyote was to sleeping with a snake.

“Sure. What time?”

“What time what?”

“What time do you want me to have dinner ready?”

“Uh, seven?”

“Then seven it is.” She sailed past him and headed for the kitchen. Chase blew out

his breath and followed.

“Where’s your broom and mop?” she asked.

“In the laundry room. Cleaning supplies, too.”

“Thanks.” She stood looking at him.

“What?”

“Don’t you have things to do?”

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“Oh, yeah. Right. I do.”

“Then I’ll see you at seven.”

“Yes. Seven.” Chase didn’t know what else to do but turn and leave the room. Ana

followed him to the front door. “You are leaving Cody here, aren’t you?” she asked. “I

mean, it would be nice, if you don’t mind. This is all new to me and I’d just feel better if

he was here.”

“No problem.” Chase hadn’t planned on taking Cody with him to the Circle R

anyway.

“And he can come inside?” she asked, looking for all the world like a hopeful little

girl, so adorable that he wanted to squeeze her.

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Thank you!” She impulsively grabbed him for a quick hug and stood on tiptoes to

graze his cheek with her lips before she flew out the door, calling the dog.

Chase shook his head and walked out behind her. The woman was like quicksilver,

always in motion and fluid as a stream. He couldn’t figure out if she was a little

emotionally stunted, or just the most enthusiastic person he’d ever encountered. She

bounced back from things as if she forgot them the moment they were finished. He was

certain that he’d never met anyone like her. Ever. One moment she had a look that

begged a man to take her and the next she was like a child who found joy in the

simplest of things.

She wasn’t easy to figure. Chase had always prided himself on being able to get a

handle on people right away. Ana was an enigma. And that intrigued him. Combine

intrigue with sex appeal that was damn near tangible and it equaled a woman to

beware of. Which gave him cause for concern. With a curse, he headed for his truck.

Right now he was only sure of one thing and that was, it was going take some doing to

get used to having Ana Stillwater around.

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Chase ‘n’ Ana

Chapter Four

Giovanni Sardo smiled at the insurance adjuster and accepted the check the man

offered. Three hundred thousand dollars was probably six times more than the small

house now lying in a heap of rubble on the yard was worth.

That Giovanni had been able to magically persuade the adjuster to give him that

much for the house was testament to the new powers he had attained. And to think he

owed it all to that bitch, Ana, for dropping the house on him when she left.

Served her right, he thought. She figured she was getting even with him for the

punishment he’d given her for disagreeing with him. As it turns out, she’d handed him

what he’d wanted most in life. Power.

Giovanni was a minechicudet, a Sardinian male witch, the seventh son of the

seventh son in a long line of witches. How he’d been born with such diluted power was

a mystery to all his family and a disappointment to him. He’d dreamed of power his

entire life, and how he could use it to get the wealth and status he craved.

He’d never planned on marrying, and sure would not have married Ana if it had

not been ordered by his family. His mother had been in the States for a visit with

relatives who had immigrated here. She was with Giovanni the day he first saw Ana.

Ana was performing in a festival in one of the local parks with a group of women

she’d taught to belly dance. It was her lithe, sexy body that prompted him to stop and

watch. It was his mother’s elbow in his ribs that prompted him to introduce himself to

her after the performance.

His mother had recognized Ana as a witch, and had predicted that her power was

strong enough that if Giovanni mated with her and gained control of her, he could take

her power as his own. Psychically draining others of power was one of his family’s

strongest talents.

It hadn’t seemed like a bad idea at the time. Ana was sexy as hell, and as he soon

discovered, not at all inhibited in the art of sex. He used every ounce of charm he

possessed to win her. And once he had, he insisted on marriage, even though she was

against it.

For the first time in his life, Giovanni found his mother to be completely wrong.

He’d spent three years with Ana, trying to tap into her power, to take it as his own. And

all for naught. Ana was what his people called a white-lighter. She operated strictly on

the “harm none” principle, and seemed to be protected from forces stronger than he

and his combined family.

When he realized he was not going to get her power, and she certainly was not

going to voluntarily give it to him, he became dissatisfied. He resented that she had

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power she would not use to improve their way of life, and resented that he was stuck

with her even more.

Giovanni was trapped. Sex between them had ceased six months into their

marriage. Ana would not even sleep in the same bed with him. She slept on the lumpy

old couch with her damn hawk perched beside her.

Giovanni wished that hawk a grievous and painful death. He’d tried to shoot it

once, but Ana had intervened. Now both of them were on guard for anything he might

try.

The night they’d gotten into an argument over homosexuals was the turning point

for Giovanni. He hated homosexuals. Gay or lesbian, it didn’t matter to him. If he’d had

the power he would have wiped them all from the face of the earth. He’d said as much

when they saw a piece on the news about same-sex marriage. Ana, of course, had

disagreed. Being the bleeding heart she was, she thought people had every right to

choose their lifemate regardless of gender, and was strongly opposed to the prejudice

that heterosexual people had against the homosexual community.

Giovanni had lost control and punched her. And that blow woke something inside

him. A long-suppressed need to inflict pain broke free from the darkness and emerged.

With it came a rush of sexual energy stronger than anything he’d felt in years.

And it only grew stronger and more satisfying with every blow, slap, punch or kick

he delivered to Ana.

He halfway expected her to fight back magically. But she did not. She tried to

physically fight him, but Giovanni was a big man and she was no match for him. And

her hawk was not there to help. So, Giovanni had an orgasmic time, beating and raping

her, then leaving her broken on the floor. He went out, got himself a hooker and a bottle

and celebrated, establishing himself an alibi for when the authorities came to tell him

that his wife was dead.

It had not turned out that way. Ana had managed to crawl to the phone and dial

911. She was in the hospital for quite a while, but when she was released she returned

to him to announce to him that she was leaving.

Giovanni didn’t give a fat shit about Ana, but his pride would not tolerate her

walking out on him. No woman walked out on Giovanni Sardo. He tried to stop her,

but that damn hawk intervened. Ana packed up her car and as she pulled onto the

street she looked back, waved her hand and said a chant.

The next thing Giovanni knew, he was waking up in a hospital to learn that his

house had collapsed on him.

He was mad enough to kill, and would have killed Ana if he’d known where she

was. But then something marvelous happened. He started to notice that his power was

stronger. Much, much stronger. He could control people with a suggestion, manipulate

them to do his bidding.

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Chase ‘n’ Ana

It wasn’t until he was released and returned to look at the rubble that had once

been his house that he realized what had happened. While standing in the yard,

surveying the mess, a vulture landed on the ground beside him.

Giovanni nearly fainted when the bird spoke to him, informing him that there was

another inside him. Something that had been long buried beneath the house,

imprisoned long ago by white witchcraft. Ana’s actions had released it and it now

resided in Giovanni.

At first Giovanni was a little panicked. Being possessed and stripped of his will and

self-identity was not at all appealing. But soon his familiar and the Entity inside him

eased his mind. The Entity did not want to take him over, but merely wished to live

through Giovanni. And in return for life, it offered the power he now possessed and

much more. The only thing it asked was that they find Ana Stillwater and kill her. She

was descended from the witches who imprisoned the Entity and the time for revenge

had come.

It was a perfect deal for Giovanni. He had three hundred grand in his pocket,

power and a new familiar. Now all he had to do was locate Ana. Killing her would be a

pleasure. He’d enjoy taking his time and prolonging it. And when she breathed her last

breath, her power would also be his. Then he’d take whatever he wanted from life, and

to hell with anyone who stood in his way.

* * * * *

Ana heaved out a long breath when she saw Chase’s truck pull away. Fergi

swooped down to land on the porch rail. Cody immediately bristled and Ana stooped

down beside him. “That’s Fergi. Remember me telling you about her? She’s my friend,

so you have to be nice and get along with her. Okay?”

Cody gave her a look that clearly said “but I’m a hunter by nature” and she rubbed

his head. “Yeah, well, so is she and her wingspan is nearly seven feet. Not to mention

the fact that her talons are razor-sharp, so in this one case you might want to curb your

natural inclinations and make friends. Right, Fergi?” She looked up at the hawk.

Fergi let out a cry and Ana smiled and walked over to her. “Yes, Cody’s fine. I’ve

explained things to him. Right, Cody?”

Cody barked and bumped up against the side of her leg. She knelt down to give

him a rub. “So, Cody, what’s the deal on Chase Hawks?” she asked. “Have I totally

screwed up or is he okay?”

Cody’s response was to lick her face. “Yeah, I guess he’s okay,” she said as she

stood. “You wouldn’t like him otherwise, right? Besides, Fergi agrees and who am I to

doubt her wisdom.”

He barked twice and she exchanged a look with Fergi. “You sure about this?”

Fergi let out a shrill cry and lifted into the air. Ana watched her rise higher and

higher then headed up the front steps of the house, continuing her conversation with

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the dog. “So he gets the thumbs-up from you and Fergi, but between you and me, he

makes me kind of nervous.” She looked down at Cody. “Okay, so nervous isn’t exactly

right. I mean, let’s face it. He is hard for a woman to ignore and yeah, I can’t help but

notice. I mean, damn! He can make you wet just looking at him. Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean

to embarrass you. But anyway, something about him still makes me nervous. It’s like

he’s not really being honest or something.”

She pulled open the front door and Cody bounded in. Ana stopped just inside the

door, closed her eyes and let the energy of the house surround her. What was that she

felt? She sank down onto the floor into the lotus position in one graceful move, despite

the pull of the damaged ribs.

Focusing on her breath, she counted slowly, inhaling for the count of four and

exhaling for the count of eight. When she’d gotten her breath down to three breaths per

minute, the sensations of her body disappeared and her mind opened.

For a few moments there was nothing. Then she began to recognize the energy. This

place was sanctuary. A place where the rest of the world could not go. Her eyes flew

open. Why in the world would he have let her invade something so precious to him?

Chase was asking himself the same question as he drove toward the Circle R Ranch.

His place had always been just that. His. A place where nothing connected with the

family could touch him. A place where he could go and escape, be alone and hear his

own thoughts. So why in the hell had he taken Ana there?

He had not wanted to take her to the Circle R because then his father would get

involved and things tended to get more complicated when Charlie Russell got involved.

Chase would rather that Charlie not even become aware of the situation, and Jason,

Chase’s friend with the police department, had assured Chase that unless Ana filed

charges against him, Charlie wouldn’t have to find out.

Chase pulled around to the back of the house and climbed out of the truck. Just as