Chase 'n' Ana (8 page)

screamed and started running blind.

Chase didn’t understand what was happening but did recognize fear when he saw

it and at that moment Ana was consumed by more terror than he’d ever seen in another

human being. Whatever devil she was running from was one that scared the life out of

her and he didn’t know how to help. But he couldn’t let her just run off. Now that night

was falling it would be dangerous.

He ran after her and caught her just as she reached the fence. When his hand closed

around her arm she whirled around fighting, hitting and kicking as if her very life

depended on it. Chase didn’t want to hurt her but she made it difficult. In the end, he

38

Chase ‘n’ Ana

had no choice but to take her down and pin her to the ground, straddling her body to

hold her still.

“Nooooo!” she screamed. “Not again. Get off me, Gio, or I swear on my mother’s

grave—”

“Ana, snap out of it!” Chase did the only thing he could think of. He slapped her.

Ana’s head whipped to one side and then she went limp, her chest heaving rapidly.

Chase eased his hold on her to turn her head. Her eyes were clamped tightly shut, but

tears still streamed down her grimy face.

“Ah, Fancy,” he murmured, gathering her up against his chest. “What did that

bastard do to you?”

Ana stiffened at first, then wrapped her arms around him and sobbed. Chase held

her while she cried, smoothing her hair down her back and crooning softly to her. “It’s

okay, baby. Let it out. It’ll all be okay.”

Finally the sobs diminished to sniffles and a short time later she loosened her hold

on him from the death grip she’d had. “You okay now, Ana?” he whispered against her

hair.

She nodded and drew back to look at him. “Had a rough time, haven’t you?” Chase

asked.

She shrugged. “A little.”

“Your husband?” he asked.

She nodded. “Giovanni.”

“He’s the one who broke your ribs.”

Again she nodded, but looked down in embarrassment. Chase put his fingers under

her chin to tilt her head up. “Don’t you hang your head, Ana. The shame’s on him, not

you. But you’re shed of him now and he’ll never hurt you again.”

“You promise?” she asked, her eyes locking with his.

“On my life.” Chase didn’t realize until he had said the words how much he meant

them.

“How can I trust you, Chase? Everyone I’ve ever loved has either left me or hurt

me. How do I know you won’t be the same?” She wanted to believe him, really believe

him deep down in her soul but the memory of what Giovanni had done to her was

making it hard. She didn’t even know Chase. And despite what Cody and Fergi said,

how could she know that one day Chase wouldn’t hurt her just as bad?

Chase considered his words carefully. “You can’t know that, Fancy. At least not yet.

But in time you will. I’ll show you how to trust again, if you’ll let me.”

Ana heard the sincerity in his voice and saw it shining in his eyes, and her heart felt

a swell of hope so strong that it made her smile. “Okay,” she agreed. “You teach me

how to trust and in return I’ll teach you…” A frown creased her brow as she thought

about it. “How to dance sky clad under the moon.”

39

Ciana Stone

“Sky clad?” Chase asked, being completely at a loss as to what that meant.

Ana laughed. “Naked.”

Chance couldn’t help but smile. Ana Stillwater was the singularly most unique

person he had ever met, as fluid and changeable as quicksilver and as quirky as they

came. “Sky clad, huh?”

Ana’s smile brightened. “Trust me, Chase. You’ll love it.”

He had no faith whatsoever that she was right on that score, but there was no sense

in voicing it. The smile on her face had ignited something warm inside him, and he’d

just as soon keep it that way.

40

Chase ‘n’ Ana

Chapter Six

Chase woke with a start. What was that sound? He climbed out of bed, listening. It

came again. From outside. He went to the window and looked out. “What the hell?”

Quickly, he threw on his jeans and boots and ran through the house and out the

back door.

The moon was straight overhead, but less than half full as it was on the wane. Still it

provided enough light to illuminate the landscape. And there, in the middle of the

pasture, wearing what looked to be a big scarf wrapped around her body, was Ana

Stillwater. Her arms were above her head, moving in intricate and graceful patterns

through the air as her body moved to a rhythm he could not hear, but somehow could

feel in his blood. It was a dance of pure femaleness, as old as time and as seductive as

original sin.

His dog, Cody, sat on the porch watching. “Why’d you let her run out there on her

own?” Chase asked. “You know rattlers come out at night.”

Cody looked up at him then returned his gaze ahead. Chase walked down the steps

and headed in Ana’s direction. Just as he was climbing the fence, she stopped and

called something he could not make out.

A shadow passed over his head, making him duck. Air pushed down on him as the

sound of powerful wings moved past him. Chase looked up. What had to be the biggest

hawk he’d ever seen was flying straight toward Ana.

Chase had never heard of a hawk attacking a person, but he wasn’t about to take a

chance. He set out at a dead run, shouting to Ana. “Ana, look out!”

She turned at the sound of his voice, and then looked up as the hawk started its

descent. Before Chase could reach her, the hawk did. But instead of attacking, it settled

on her raised forearm.

Chase skidded to a stop twenty feet from them. Ana smiled at him. “Chase, this is

Fergi. Fergi, Chase Hawks.”

The hawk twittered at her and Ana laughed. “No, I don’t think it means he literally

chases hawks.” She turned her attention back to Chase. “Does it?”

“Uh, no.” He wondered if maybe this wasn’t all just a dream.

“Nope, it’s real,” Ana answered as the hawk chirped at her, then gave the hawk a

kiss on its head. “Go on, but don’t stuff yourself. You remember what happened the last

time.”

She raised her arm and the hawk lifted off. Ana watched Fergi rise into the sky then

turned to face Chase. “What are you doing out here?”

“That’s what I came to ask you.”

41

Ciana Stone

She shrugged. “Just getting the feel of the place. And spending some time with

Fergi. This is all new territory to her.”

“That’s the Fergi you were worried about? You have a hawk as a pet?”

“Oh, no,” she replied and walked over closer. “And don’t ever let Fergi hear you

say that. She’d be very offended and believe me, a pissed-off hawk isn’t a pretty sight.”

Chase just gawked at her for a moment, trying to get a handle on the situation.

“Your hawk would be offended?”

“Highly.” She nodded. “And she’s not my hawk. She’s my friend and my familiar.”

“Familiar? Is that another witch thing?”

“Yes,” Ana chuckled.

“So what does it mean? She’s some kind of demon or spirit or something?”

“Demon? No. She’s more like my, umm, partner.”

“Partner? So the hawk’s a witch, too?”

“Well, I guess you might look at it like that. She does have certain powers. Mostly

Fergi’s kind of like my radar, and when needed lends me her ability. But more than

anything, she’s my friend.”

“And she talks to you.” Chase was far from convinced that Ana was a witch, even

though things were getting stranger by the moment.

“Sure. Just like Cody talks to you, right, Cody?”

Chase hadn’t realized that Cody was even there. He followed the direction of Ana’s

gaze and sure enough there sat Cody, two feet behind him, watching. He barked in

response to Ana’s question.

Chance looked from Cody to Ana. “He barks, but I’m positive he’s never spoken a

word to me.”

Ana smiled. “Well, sure he has, Chase. He’s told you lots of things. Like how he

really hates that food with the liver flavor, and how he’d rather not go to Charlie’s,

because they don’t let him come in the house, and how much he likes Clara because

when she comes over she always brings him treats.”

Chase was dumbfounded. He hadn’t mentioned Charlie’s or Clara’s names, so how

did Ana know them? Was this some elaborate ruse, some con game to sucker him for

money? Suddenly he was seeing things in an ugly light.

“Look, lady. I don’t know who the hell you are or how you come by your

information, but there’s no way in hell you’ll get a dime out of me, so you might as well

pack up your little traveling show and look for another sucker ‘cause this gig’s up.”

“What?” Ana stepped back under the force of Chase’s anger and his ugly

accusations. “You think—”

“No, I know,” he barked. Now that he had his anger up, it was taking control. He’d

played right into her game, fallen for her wounded deer act and all the while it was just

an elaborate ploy to swindle him. “You thought you’d sashay in here with your tight

42

Chase ‘n’ Ana

little body, come-get-me, jungle-cat eyes, and abused-wife sob story and sucker me

right in, have me eating out of your hand and forking over every dime—”

“Enough!” Ana was past the shock and full into her own rage. That he could even

think her capable of such despicable things was more than she could take. For the first

time in many years, her control slipped. She advanced on him with eyes flashing. “How

dare you! I’ve been nothing but honest with you and have asked nothing from you.

Nothing! And now you want to make me out to be some gold-digging hussy who

would spread her legs to get your money? Well, to hell with you, Chase Hawks!”

She started to march past him, intent on gathering her things and walking off his

property as soon as possible. But he grabbed her. The fear Giovanni had created rose

and almost choked her into insensibility, but her rage was stronger. She whirled on him

with one hand lifted, palm out. “Do NOT touch me!”

Chase had no idea how it happened. One moment he was standing toe-to-toe with

her, his hand wrapped around her upper arm and the next he was flat on his back in the

dirt. And he knew she had not touched him. He shook his head, climbed to his feet and

stared at her in shock.

Ana’s reason was shrouded by anger and she couldn’t think straight. She extended

her hand in front of her and he saw, literally saw, arcs of golden energy dancing

between and off her fingers. “Keep away,” she warned.

“How do you do that?” Chase was so amazed he forgot he was angry. It was true!

She was a witch. How else could it be explained? He’d felt it. Seen it with his own eyes.

As impossible as it seemed, it was true.

Ana was so taken off guard by the complete change in Chase that her rage

dissipated like morning mist. She closed her hand and the energy retreated back inside

her body.

“How?” Chase asked.

“I don’t know,” she answered truthfully.

“It’s incredible. Ana, this is… This is unbelievable. You’re a witch. A real, bona fide,

knock-my-ass-in-the-dirt witch.”

Ana had to laugh. It was just too funny. “I guess that’s one way of putting it.”

Chase was filled with curiosity. “So what else can you do? Can you fly?”

“No, that’s Superman,” she said, biting back a grin.

“Okay, maybe that was lame, but seriously, can you do anything else?”

A mischievous smile appeared on her face and she stepped up close to him. “Oh

yeah. Want to see?”

“Absolutely.”

Ana reached out and placed her hand on his chest. A bolt of pure unadulterated

energy, so completely sexual that it nearly made his dick explode, shot through him.

Chase literally staggered it was so strong.

“Good god, woman. What was that?”

43

Ciana Stone

“Remember that fire we talked about?” she teased suggestively and moved close to

run her hands up his body to circle his neck, her lips moving ever so slowly toward his.

“Oh yeah, I do indeed.”

“Well, just consider it a preview,” she whispered and pulled his face down to cover

his lips with hers.

Chase thought he was going to come in his jeans. Her lips slanted across his, soft

and wet and warm. Her tongue moved inside, tasting and exploring. And all the while

her body rubbed against him, creating wave after wave of sensation so strong that his

need exploded like a keg of dynamite, stripping away the veneer of civility and

reducing him to a primal man with but one thing on his mind.

Ana was as lost as Chase. She had not intended to fall victim to her desire, but one

taste of him and nothing else existed but the feel of his hard muscular body pressed

against hers, his arms wrapped around her and his mouth, that glorious sexy mouth,

feasting on hers.

Suddenly from behind Ana, Cody growled.

Chase immediately looked to see what Cody was upset about. “Ana, don’t move,”

he said calmly. “Stay perfectly still.”

“Why?” she asked, but followed his instructions.

“There’s a rattler about six inches from your right foot.”

“Oh, is that all?” She looked down, saw the snake, then bent down and picked it up.

“Holy hell!” Chase took a big step back. “Are you crazy?”

“Don’t think so,” she replied, letting the snake curl around her arm. “You’re a big