Emerald Eyes (30 page)

He took the plate as she handed it over. “You are too good to me, woman.”

“Thank you! You are my life, my husband. It is only you and our baby that I live for.”

“Hey,” he sat the plate down and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips. “There is plenty more to live for: Your grandfather. Your people. Still, I am very happy to be the center of your world, and even happier that I will be sharing that center with our child.” He kissed her tenderly and then pulled back. “This smells really good!” He picked up the plate and began eating heartily.

She appeared pleased that he was enjoying his breakfast so much. She sat beside him quietly while he devoured his food. When he was done, she packed up the plate and fork. He walked with her a little ways where they kissed goodbye, and he stood and watched until she disappeared through some trees. He returned to his tent then to try and get some sleep. He still had two more nights before the full moon began to wane.

Madison insisted on cooking breakfast for a change, said she needed to practice or she’d never become anywhere near the awesome chef that Devin was.

He politely stepped aside, but helped her set the table and squeezed the orange juice. She loaded the spicy omelets on their plates and sat them on the table, and then grabbed the toast out of the toaster and slathered butter on both pieces, as they both loved plenty of butter. They didn’t have to worry about gaining weight. As vampires, they never lost or gained a pound. Breakfast done, he pulled her chair out for her and they sat down.

He took a couple of bites and commented that it was absolutely delicious. She thanked him but was sure he was just being nice.

“No!” he said. “Believe in yourself a little bit, Madison. If I say it is good. It is good!”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously, my sweet.”

Her expression changed and she looked a bit downcast.

“What?”

“Mother! Damn! I wish she wasn’t coming!”

“Don’t you want to see her?”

“Yes…Of course I do. But she’s difficult to say the least under normal circumstances. God only knows how she’s going to be with our unique situation.”

“Madison, my sweet, we had this discussion already. If worse comes to worse, we can compel her to forget anything we want her to forget.”

She smiled apologetically. “Yeah. You’re right. Just be patient with me. I keep forgetting we have these unique little abilities. Okay?”

“Always, Madison.”

“I still have a lot of issues with my controlling mother, even though I realize a lot of it was me. Still, the scars take time to heal.”

“You have plenty of time for them to heal, sweetheart.” He cupped a hand to her chin. “Am I not right?”

She bobbed her head. “Yes! Thanks to you.”

“Madison,” he said, changing the subject, “do you consider what I have given you a curse or a gift?”

She stared at him, just short of stunned. The question seemed out of his nature. “Aside from the fact that I can’t bear children, a
gift!
It’s certainly not your fault that I didn’t have my baby. It was Chuck’s!” She took a quick sip of her orange juice and sat the glass down.

“Now I’ve gone and upset you, my sweet. Was not my intention.”

She eyed him straight on. “I’m just surprised that you thought you had to ask that question. What you have given me is so awesome! Not only the eternal life thing with never growing old, but the love we have together. What more could I ask for?”

It was more than apparent that her answer pleased him. His eyes shone brightly with happiness. “I hoped that was how you felt, my sweet. I just needed to hear it. Sometimes even I need a little encouragement.”

She studied the tenderness reflecting in his gaze. He spoke from his heart, as always. “Yes…I suppose you do. Guess I just automatically assumed, since you are so powerful and have been around for so long, and seem to have answers to all the questions, that you don’t need any assurance or encouragement.”

A hint of a grin turned up the corners of his mouth. “There’s that
assuming
thing again.”

“Yeah…You and my mother do have that in common: having to remind me not to assume things.”

He sighed then and looked at his plate. “This is really good. We should eat and catch a little shuteye before we have to get up and get ready for your mother’s arrival this afternoon.”

“Yes. I always look forward to cuddling with you for a few hours.”

“Ditto that!” He dug his fork in his eggs and commenced eating.

She did the same.

It was noon when Indian Joe paid Chuck a visit at his tent. A dark look shadowed his face.

Chuck frowned quizzically and gestured for his friend to sit down on the blanket he had on the ground in front of the tent and sat too.

“I can tell by your expression, Joe. Something is wrong. Tickling Feather said you were held up this morning. That something had come up.”

The old Indian sat staring off at the mountains but after a long moment, answered his friend. “Sheriff Baker and two of his deputies paid us a visit this morning. They were knocking on my door before I finished my breakfast.”

“Oh?” Chuck said, brow furrowed.

Joe still stared straight ahead. Something weighed heavily on his mind. “They found two dead campers this morning, just on the other side of the reservation line. They’d been torn apart by something. They thought at first that it might have been a bear, but then they found a bear not far from them, torn apart too! It was also dead. The campers didn’t kill it. Whatever killed the young couple also killed the bear.”

Chuck had a sinking feeling he didn’t like at all. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had visions of fighting a black bear. He shivered hard. “No!” This couldn’t be happening. “No!” He stood and turned away.

Joe stood too, laying a hand on Chuck’s shoulder. “The good news is…our medicine man is arriving this afternoon.”

Chuck swung around, eyes welled with tears. “Gawd! Do you think I killed those people? And the bear?”

“Only other thing could be another bear,” he replied, but his tone indicated that that wasn’t what he believed.

“How is your medicine man going to help me? Obviously, I’m leaving the reservation now and killing innocent people.”

“The spirit of the wolf in you is out of control, Chuck. But our medicine man may be able to tame it down.”

“Better tame it down a hell of a lot! Only, what if he can’t?” He hissed out air and walked off several feet, peering up at the beautiful blue sky as tears streamed down his face.

Joe stepped up behind him.

“I don’t want to kill people, Joe! Gawd!” He swung around looking as though he was about to fold.

The old Indian led him back to the blanket and told him to sit. Then reached in his buckskin jacket and took out a pouch of powder and handed it over. “Take this tonight, just before you transition.”

“What the hell is it?”

“A special herb our medicine man sent ahead. It will drug you down considerably. Even when you transition, you will be greatly incapacitated. You shouldn’t wander too far with it in your system.”

Chuck stared at it for a moment and then finally took it. “It looks like green freakin’ cornstarch,” he commented.

“I do not know what it is, my son. Just that you need to dissolve it in water or coffee and drink it about an hour before you turn. There is enough there for two nights. Take half tonight and the other half tomorrow night.”

“Gawd! I hope this works!”

“That makes three of us,” Joe said, making an effort to smile encouragingly.

“Tickling Feather knows you brought it?”

“She does.”

He stuck the pouch in his shirt pocket. “Thank you! I will certainly take it.” He changed the subject then. “What does the sheriff think killed the campers and the bear?”

“They are guessing another bear. From what I understand, they have word out to the rest of the law enforcement agencies around to be on the lookout for a rogue bear.”

Chuck blew out air. “Gawd! How I wish that was what it was…But you and I both know it’s not.”

“We can hope,” the old Indian said, trying to smile again, but not very convincingly.

“You do know I don’t deserve your help? I don’t deserve Tickling Feather.”

“Again, son…It is not
your
fault that this curse was brought upon you. Though it does not happen often, it can happen to anyone. Speaking as a man who knows you well, as I have told you before, you have a good heart. I know it is not you killing innocent people. It is the wolf inside you.”

“Joe…If it weren’t for you and Tickling Feather, I think I’d find a cliff and drive my truck off it somewhere. In fact, I’m pretty sure I would.”

“But you do have us, son. Hang in there. Take the medicine tonight and tomorrow night. Hopefully, you won’t even be able to kill the goats we are leaving you.”

“That would be awesome!”

“Now, I must get back to the village. I have a meeting with some of the elders.”

Chuck suddenly looked concerned.

“Do not worry. It is not about you. It is financial. We have a school to run and not enough teachers. We need to find a way to get more of our young folks interested in becoming teachers for the tribal children.”

“Okay,” Chuck said, breathing out a sigh of relief. “Thanks so much for coming out. And for bringing me this,” he said, patting his pocket where the pouch was.

“No problem, my friend. I will see you in the morning.”

“Have a good day, Joe!”

“You too! Get some rest while you can.”

“I will.” He watched his friend walk off, and then went in the tent to lie down.

Lois Stevenson drove slowly down the narrow country road, vaguely remembering where Mattie’s little cottage – now Madison’s – should be. At last, she saw the familiar old mail box with a faded crow painted on each side, something she’d always wondered about, and turned in. There was a Kia Rio sitting in the driveway. She pulled in behind it.

Hopefully, her daughter was home. She shut the rental off and carefully opened her door and stepped out. It had been raining most of the way from the airport, but now the rain had ceased and the clouds seemed to be breaking up. She was glad. One of the things she had always hated about Washington, but Madison and Mattie loved, was so many days of rain.

She stepped up on the porch, hoping Madison saw she was there and would come to the door without her having to knock, but when she opened the screen, there were no signs of movement from inside. She raised her hand and knocked a couple of times.

Nothing.

“Madison!” she called out loudly. Maybe her daughter was in the back somewhere? “Madison!” she called again.

“Here! Mother!”

Lois spun around, surprised to see her daughter wearing dark sunglasses and a full length rain coat and a large-brimmed hat. Definitely not the style of clothing her daughter normally wore. She almost laughed, as it struck her as almost comical. “Madison! I was afraid you weren’t here. Afraid you hadn’t bothered to read my letter,” she said, knowing her daughter very well.

“I read it, Mother,” she replied, but failed to mention that she hadn’t until the day before.

Lois stepped forward, pushing the strap of her purse up over her shoulder and holding out her arms. “Give your mother a hug!”

Madison did as her mother wanted and gave her a hug.

Lois stepped back. “You’re cold as ice! Are you sick?”

“Not sick, Mother. But I do need to get out of the sun,” she said, holding her palm angled over her sunglasses to block out the sunlight.

“Huh? But there’s not a lot of sun coming through?”

“It’s more than enough for me. Now, I’m not staying here. I’m living with my boyfriend. But you can sleep here if you want during your visit. Or, you can sleep in Devin’s guest room.”

This was all very strange to Lois. “But you haven’t been up her six months. I thought you loved the cottage. And you’re living with a boyfriend already!”

Madison turned away from her mother and rolled her eyes, walking fast now. “Come on. I have to get out of the sun.”

“Okay…Okay,” her mother replied, having to almost run to keep up with her daughter. “You have some kind of skin condition? Something develop since you’ve been here?”

“Something like that. Now come on. I have to hurry or I will blister.”

“Who is this boyfriend of yours?”

“You’re going to meet him in a minute. He may look very familiar to you…He’s Mattie’s old boyfriend’s grandson. Devin Knight.”

Lois stopped in her tracks. She’d always felt uneasy around Devin Knight. And Madison had mentioned the name Devin earlier.

Madison swung around, walking backwards. “You coming?”

“Yes! I’m coming. We could have taken the car.”

Madison paid no heed to her mother’s suggestion, just spun back around and hastened off down the road and broke into a run and continued running until she reached Devin’s yard, not wasting a second in dashing up on the porch where she stood and waited for her mother. Soon as her mother was up the steps, Madison was inside, holding the door open for her.

Lois stepped in, taking a moment to catch her breath. “What on earth is going on?”

Madison removed her sunglasses, hat and coat and handed them to Devin who stood there smiling ambiguously.

Lois spoke, “I take it you’re…Devin?”

“That I am, ma’am,” he said, stepping up and kissing her hand in his old-world manner.

She stared at him; her face full of questions. “My God! You look identical to your grandfather!”

“I said he did, didn’t I?’ Madison said.

“Yes you did.” Lois took back her hand and her eyes fell on Madison’s face. “You are burned!” She went to reach out and touch the blisters that had formed on Madison’s face, but Madison stepped back.

“I’ll be all right. They’ll go away in a few minutes, now that I’m inside.”

Speaking to Devin, Lois said, “Has she seen a doctor about this sensitivity to sunlight?”

He turned his gaze to Madison. “You haven’t, have you, my sweet?”

She gave him a wicked side-glance. “No. As a matter of fact, I haven’t.”

Lois was completely puzzled, but this Devin also made her feel uncomfortable, just as the other one had. It was something in his emerald eyes. They were of the same sparkling green that had been his grandfather’s. “I just cannot get over the resemblance,” she said. “It is simply uncanny.”