Contingency (6 page)

The wind blew faintly around us, ruffling strands of hair out of my loose braid and into my face. He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I sucked in a breath as his hand skimmed my cheek and behind my ear, over the mark of Amerach. I felt a fluttering deep in my stomach and my breathing became shallow. I bit my lip and looked into his face to see if I could decipher what I saw there. The strangest string of emotions crossed his face as if he were fighting within himself. My heart was pounding erratically now and I felt a little light headed. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for what happened next--that I was dizzy and a bit delusional.

I felt slightly weightless, as if I could let go of reality and float away like a wayward balloon by looking into Dr. Blake’s eyes. I saw the air shimmer around him, kind of like the fumes in the air when you’re pumping gas into your car. Everything became a bit hazy, but instead of becoming blurry, Dr. Blake’s face came into sharper focus. His skin seemed to shine--almost glow, his eyes were even a more brilliant blue, and his skin shimmered and looked sun-kissed; and I wanted to press myself against him just to see if it would rub off on me.

His scent seemed to explode in my nostrils as I inhaled and I found myself wondering if a lick of his skin would taste like warm honey. I might have done just that since I leaned myself completely into his personal space and if Dr. Blake hadn’t jumped up with a look of horror on his face. What the hell? I shook my head and swayed a little.

Dr. Blake cleared his throat and asked softly “Sage, are you ill? You look a little pale.”

“Yes, I think I am. Maybe I’ve been in the sun too long,” I said as I reluctantly looked up at him. Everything seemed back to normal. I tilted my head left and right and then squinted at him to see if I could recreate what I had just experienced. Nope, I definitely felt like a moron. His eyes narrowed. “Definitely too much heat,” I replied, still a little uncertain. He seemed relieved and let out a long breath.

“Let’s go inside then and find Mrs. Howell to let her know you just lost track of time.” He smiled and offered me his arm. I walked inside with him, the phantom scent of honey still teasing the back of my tongue.

Chapter Eight

Late that night I turned over and punched my pillow, trying to fluff it up and get more comfortable so I could actually sleep. It didn’t work. I jumped out of bed and grabbed the candle on my night stand and headed out of my room. Maybe the library would have a novel, I hadn’t read anything good in a long time.

When I got to the library I stopped just outside finding the door slightly ajar with a light shining from inside. Maybe someone else couldn’t sleep and came to find a book as well. I hesitated a moment, wondering if I should retreat to my room, when I heard a hiccup and then decidedly feminine giggles. Curiosity won out and I pushed the door open a little so I could take a peek inside to see what was going on. I’m sure my jaw just about became unhinged as I took in the scene before me. Elaine Howell, dressed in her long white night gown with her lovely blond hair hanging down almost to her waist was sitting Indian style on a rug in front of the fireplace. Beside her was a half empty bottle of liquor and in her hand was a half empty glass.

“AH! Sage! Please, do come in and join me! I hate to be the only one having fun.” She smiled crookedly and hiccupped all at the same time. I gave a little jump at being caught staring and I looked around as if help would pop out of the woodwork to explain this bizarre scene. I walked over to the party of one and noticed how young she looked with her hair down and her eye glasses missing.

“Is anything wrong, Mrs. Howell?” I asked. Something had to be wrong...I mean this was a drunken version of Mary Poppins! It was just all kinds of wrong.

Her big blue eyes looked up at me, shinning with too much liquor and amusement, “Why would anything be wrong? Everything is just...fine.” she drew out the last word. I sat down on the carpet next to her, moving the bottle a little out of the way. “And please call me Elaine, I’m not that much older than you, after all.” she smiled and my only thought was W
ow, if she smiled like that a little more often, men would be lined up at her doorstep!
I found myself smiling back and for the first time I felt like myself and a little more comfortable in my new home.

Yeah, she was well on her way to being good and toasted, but who was I to judge? Elaine jumped to her knees and produced a second glass, and without much spilling, poured a glass full and thrust it at me, sloshing some on her hands in the process. I started to say no, but then I noticed something I hadn’t caught before--a tell-tale puffiness under her eyes that could have only come from crying, and I wondered what had caused her so much anguish that she cried late at night when no one could see.

“What the hell!” I announced more to myself than to Elaine. “No one should have to drink alone.” I threw back half the contents of the glass...it burned going down but the aftertaste was a pleasant surprise.

The next thing I knew the bottle was quite empty and Elaine and I had gone from buzzed to three sheets to the wind. We talked about all kinds of things and I was surprised to find out how much we had in common. I guess no matter what era you are from, women are deep down the same creatures. I tried to explain technology, society, and rock-n-roll to her. I never laughed so hard as I did at her expressions when I went into detail. I vaguely recall acting out and singing “You’re the One that I Want!” from the movie Grease, I went into detail about the black leather getup Olivia Newton John had worn. Her face was priceless--going from horrified to longing in quick succession, and I laughed so hard I got stomach cramps.

We were both singing the chorus of
I can’t get no satisfaction!
when I heard a gasp from Elaine. I looked in the direction she was staring and saw Dr. Blake and Travis Connely standing just inside the library door. I stuttered to a stop, my heart plummeting to my toes. Dr. Blake had his arms crossed over his chest, his trade mark scowl in place, and poor Travis was looking at us in absolute shock.

I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from giggling at the whole ridiculous scene, but I looked over at Elaine, who appeared to be crying, and I went from irritated and amused to pissed off in a flat second. Surely she was entitled to a little fun, a little time to let go of everything and be irresponsible for once.

I jumped to my feet, wobbling only a bit, thank goodness, and opened my mouth to give someone a piece of my mind, when I heard snorting. I looked over at Elaine and realized she was laughing so hard she was snorting and crying and as she held her stomach.

“Should...see...your...faces!” she gasped out through very unladylike snorts. She flounced back onto the love seat, and, ignoring the wobbly room, I sat down beside her. She finally stopped laughing and her shoulders slumped as exhaustion took its place. She leaned over and put her head on my shoulder, her eye lids already drooping. “I would have loved to have been born in your time, Sage.” She yawned. “But, even though I would have avoided this pain, I would have also never known the love that came before it, or the purpose of my life.” The last part of her sentence slurred as she dozed off on my shoulder.

She must have loved someone very deeply I thought, a little jealous. My eyes were closing on their own when Travis came into my line of vision. “Let me take her to her room, she wouldn’t want to be seen, and everyone will be waking up soon,” he whispered, gazing at Elaine who had begun to snore softly. I nodded and Travis picked her up gently into his arms and carried her out of the library. I needed to get to my room even though my head was feeling foggy.

I tried to stand and felt like I’d stepped onto a tilt-o-whirl. Dr, Blake was at my side in a blink. Shit, I’d forgotten about him. His eyebrow shot up into his hairline. I groaned, “Did I say that out loud?”

His lip twitched into his gorgeous smirk of a smile. “I’m afraid you did. Let me help you into your room, Sage.” I sighed and tried to move my rubbery legs when Dr.Blake scooped me up into his arms. I squeaked in alarm. “Shush! you’ll wake the whole house.” he said close to my ear. I suppressed a shudder.

“Put me down, I’m not too drunk to walk, for crying out loud.” I felt more than heard a deep chuckle, probably because even though I was arguing, my body had gone limp in his arms. Traitorous hormones! His body heat and the swaying as we ascended the staircase had me snuggling into him. I felt his arms stiffen and that sobered me up just a little. Unfortunately, I was too drunk to let him brush me off so easily.

He carried me into my room and sat a candle on my dresser. He carefully sat me down on the edge of the bed and stepped back. I stood up quickly and took his hand in mine- liquid courage and all that. His eyes narrowed as he very nearly jerked my hand off as he snatched his hand from my grip. My eyes widened at his violent reaction. He must have seen the hurt in my eyes before I looked away, because his gaze softened a fraction.

“Go to bed, Sage, you’ll be yourself in the morning, once all the alcohol is out of your system.”

I ignored him and put both my hands flat on his chest and was gratified to hear him hiss in a breath that made my bones liquefy.

Feeling a little brave, I slid my hands up his muscled chest and then around the back of his neck to dig my fingers into his thick hair. I reached up on my tip toes and leaned into the arch of his neck and inhaled his addictive scent.
Just one little taste can’t hurt
I thought as I licked the skin at the hollow of his neck. A moan escaped my lips and I felt a shudder run through his body. Dr. Blake grabbed my arms, to push me away I thought, disappointed. Instead he held me at arms length, studying my face in the candle light, looking for something...what I didn’t know.

“You don’t find me attractive, Dr. Blake? Am I not your type? Not ladylike enough?” I said meaning to come off nonchalant, but I heard my voice crack at the end. I hated myself for it. A growl full of frustration erupted from his throat just before he pulled me to him and crushed his lips to mine.

Later I would berate myself for not freezing that moment, to savor the beauty and passion of the kiss, but you can hardly think of those things when you’re being kissed so thoroughly. I barely remembered my name right then. He kissed me like a man starved, with a wild abandon that drove me insane. I had never been kissed so passionately, so completely that my head spun and my body went limp. He broke the kiss and both of us were breathing heavily. I kissed his neck and leaned into him, my body flush against his again and I licked his pulse point. A delicious friction was building between us and I rocked myself against him, needing to get as close as possible.

“Aldwin...you taste like honey, and it drives me crazy.” His entire body went rigid and I could feel him start to pull away from me.

“What did I do?” I whispered. His eyes were blue chips of ice and his jaw was clenched so hard it looked like it was about to break.

“Sage, this shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry.” He gently moved me away from him. I was still reeling from the kiss we shared and the electric current flowing around us.

I stumbled back and sat on my bed. I felt rejected and couldn’t bear to look at him. “Ok, if you would, please shut the door when you leave.” My voice came out quietly but even I could hear the steel behind the words. I laid down and pulled the covers over myself.

“Sage...” I stiffened. I heard him sigh heavily as he quietly left, shutting the door behind him. I didn’t cry, survivors don’t cry.

That’s what I kept telling myself.

Chapter Nine

I’m amazed at how quickly the weeks flew by. My mornings were filled with classes and my afternoons were filled with pushing myself to the limit as I practiced my combat and Warper abilities. It was difficult to find the perfect balance between being a lady and a kick-butt Warper.

While I still yearned for my jeans and tees, I found that I didn’t loathe my skirts quite as much as I had originally. There’s something empowering knowing that you’d have the upper hand in a fight because you would be underestimated and dismissed as a piece of fluff. What can I say? I like to think of myself as a bad ass in a corset! Now if only the corset were leather.

Classes with Travis learning about the preternatural world were the easiest part of my day. My mind eventually began to accept all the things that were in our world, all the things that go bump in the night, things I’d never have believed a few short weeks ago. Travis taught me the basics about vampires, shifters, werewolves, fae, and other creatures. I began learning how to spot preternatural creatures. Some were easier than others, because their eyes were a big giveaway. Most newly made vampires’ eyes were ringed in bright red and the older, more powerful vampires’ eyes were ringed in gold or silver.

Vampires were able to cast an appearance illusion while in society, making their eyes seem either normal to humans, or cause them to glance away, not meeting their eyes. The weaker, newly made vampires relied on charms made by witches to keep their illusions strong for longer periods of time. Shifters and werewolves’ eyes had a distinct animal shape and often had dual or tri-colored irises--brown with golden streaks, or golden colored eyes with black streaks. The eye shape and color were more pronounced close to a full moon or right before they were going to shift. Extreme emotions such as anger, lust or hate would cause their eyes to start the shifting process. Other preternatural creatures were harder to spot, with fae being one of the hardest because of their superior glamour skills. Travis hypothesized that because I was able to see the blond female vampire’s red ringed eyes, that as a Warper, I would be immune to the illusions vampires used to hide their biggest giveaway. That was sure to come in handy.