Harvest Dreams (5 page)

He had been so shocked to see the sinners come forward.
So many asking to be cleansed.
He watched some together and wanted to help them
But two men lured to their wickedness had come to them
He didn’t blame the men they couldn’t help it
There was still time.

Chapter 5

Rachel sat there trying not to ogle Steven as they discussed the previous night’s events.
“Gwen felt it too last night?” Cora asked Patrick.
Patrick sprawled on the grass with the others. “Yes. I could sense it, too. I was out there with Justin. But we couldn’t find anyone.” He grinned. “Kevin sat up top of a damn tree half the night watching who was coming and going he saw someone in the shadows once but then they walked back towards the cabin area.”
Dade sat up. “Fuck! So what you want us to do all that again tonight?” His voice was low and seething.
Patrick sighed. “Yes, minus the whole dancing show. I don’t think my nerves could deal with one of you gents losing it right now.”
Cora’s cell phone beeped. She reached to get it.
Patrick sent her an annoyed look. “Tell Miss Caruthers we got a little closer last night.” He watched her open it to send Rhonda the message and then stood up. “Get some rest people we’re going to have another very long night again tonight. He turned then stopped and looked back at Dade. “Would you be able to call him out somehow with that talent of yours?”
Dade sat there and thought. “I could try but in the end with no definite focus I could end up calling out every person in the crowd in a bad mood.” Patrick looked at him with confusion on his face. Dade spread his hands trying to find the words. “I can call a certain person to me with the right rhythm and as long as I can focus on them with my eyes or picture in my mind.”
Patrick puffed out a breath. “And we don’t have enough for you to do that.” His eyes moved to Chris lying back with Kasey curled up against him. “Don’t suppose you have any tricks we could use.”
Chris glanced down to see Kasey looking at him waiting for him to answer and then shook his head. “Like Dade, I need something personal to focus on.”
Sticking his hands in his pockets Patrick nodded. “Was worth a try. If any of you come up with anything we can use let me know. We’re close, I can taste it.” He turned and walked away.
Rachel straightened up from the slumped position she’d been in. “Can you do something, Chris?”
Kasey sat up and waited.
Chris ran his eyes over Kasey before turning to Rachel. “If I tried to find anyone with thoughts directed at you ladies, I could end up with every male that wanted his hands on you last night.”
Steven snarled. “And every fucking one wanted to!”
A few startled eyes turned to him.
Steven shrugged. “Sorry for stating the truth.” He leaned back and closed his eyes.
“Steven can I use your phone again?” Rachel asked quietly.
“You know where it is,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.
Rachel got up and went over to the cabin and slipped in the door.
Now what? The way he’d growled took her from the relaxed state to instant turn on. What am I going to do after we leave here? You are in big trouble lady!
She bit her tongue and went back to the door. “I can’t find it.” She called out and then went up the stairs to his room. She just needed a few minutes with him.
*
Steven came through the door a few minutes later. “It’s right...” He found himself shoved up against the wall and her mouth on his, hungrily on his. He barely had the chance to respond when she was working her way down his bare chest. “Angel, what are you doing?” He glanced back at the open door. “Someone could come in.” She didn’t answer, just continued working her way down his body with hot lips that left a trail of fire.
Her hand went under his sarong to run up his bare legs. His breath caught in his throat when her hand closed over his now very obvious arousal. Turning his head he tried to focus on listening for someone coming in the cottage. Her hands parted the sarong and he sucked in a breath when her tongue ran up the length of him.
He swallowed the groan in his throat and grasped her hair in his hand trying to listen for the others. When he felt that stud in her tongue run around his sensitive tip he had to clamp his jaw together to stop from groaning too loudly. He should really stop her before someone walked in. Her lips closed around him as she continued to run that priceless jewel up and down him.
Shaking his head he turned his face towards the door again, he couldn’t even focus, never mind listen for steps. He looked down at her to see her watching him with more passion in her eyes then he’d ever seen before. Bracing his hands against the wall he fought to not grab her hair and force more of him into her mouth. He was so lost in her right now, the whole world could be watching and he wouldn’t notice or care. She suddenly sucked hard pushing the ring into the most sensitive spot and his legs jerked as he came without warning into her mouth.
Grasping her hair with both hands he pulled her up his body until his mouth was on hers. Holding her face he smiled. “I’ll never be able to look at your mouth now without thinking of that you wicked woman.”
Rachel licked her lips and he couldn’t help following her tongue with his eyes. “Sorry, I had the uncontrollable urge.”
He grinned. “Wouldn’t be good to curb an urge like that.” He watched her straighten his sarong. “But how do I return the favor?”
She stepped back from him and picked up his phone. “I’m sure you’ll come up with something, but not right now. That was a big enough chance I think.”
He watched her dial the phone and stood exactly where she’d pushed him.
How am I going to just let her go when we get home?
His eyes watched her mouth as she talked into the phone quietly and he shuddered. Taking a deep breath he tried to bring his mind under control. She was wearing a longer skirt today and the little witch was covered. He’d had to fake sleeping on the ground when she had sat beside him to keep from pushing it up and running his tongue over it. Moving his eyes back up to her face he saw she was watching him.
“You’re standing there looking at me with puppy eyes, Doc. That won’t give away anything.” She cocked one eyebrow at him.
Steven shrugged. “Sorry. Mind still hasn’t quite returned. How’s Ricky today?”
She set the phone down. “The same.” She walked towards the door. “I’m going over to help with the kids program.”
He rubbed a hand over the front of himself. “I’ll be there as soon as these images fade.”
She looked down at his hand and flipped her tongue out to pop the little stud between her teeth. “I’ll meet you there,” she whispered with a smile and then walked out.
He had just sat on the bed when Dade walked in.
“Rach seems happier. Her little friend doing better?”
Steven cleared his throat to find his voice. “Must be having a good day.”
Dade dug in his backpack. “That’s good.” He frowned down at him. “You okay? You look flushed.”
Steven chuckled.
If you only knew.
“Yeah, probably got too much sun.”
“Then don’t lie right in it, doctor.” Dade snorted. Sobering again he leaned back against the door. “Any thoughts on what can be done tonight to find this fucker?”
Steven leaned onto his knees and clasped his hands. “No clue. It really sucks. All this power the group of us have and we’re still running blind.”
Dade crossed his arms. “I hear that.” He grinned. “So you’ve got quite the moves on you by the way, where did you learn to dance like that?”
Steven laughed. “I didn’t know I could. You probably would have discovered a few moves hiding inside you if you’d gotten closer to a half naked Cora.”
“My moves would have been on the ground with her which is why I stayed safely behind my drum.”
Steven nodded as he stood up. “Yeah, surprised the hell out of myself that I didn’t drag her off somewhere.”
At that moment at least
he thought. “I’m heading over to the children’s area and then I’m hoping to find thirty seconds to take a nap before tonight.”
*
Steven watched Cora. She hadn’t been feeling right since dinner and experience said that lead to bad things happening.
Dade knelt down in front of her. “Are you sure you want to go to the fire tonight honey?” He ran his hands gently down her arms.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes. If it’s strong, here, now, who knows maybe I’ll be able to pin point the exact person.” She looked around at everyone. “And end this.”
Rachel jumped up and looked around at everyone. Steven raised his eyebrows in question when she just stood there for a few seconds. She turned slowly and looked at Chris. “Chris, can you use the feelings Cora is sensing to try to zero in?”
The shocked expression on Chris’ face was plain. He opened his mouth and then closed it and looked over at Kasey. “Possibly,” he all but whispered.
Kasey jumped up and stepped over in front of him quickly. “Really? You can do something like that?” she snorted. “Well, I know you
can
but should you?”
Dade turned from Cora and looked at him. “Will she get hurt?” The warning was clear in his tone.
Steven sighed. “Lay it out for us, councilor and let’s see if everyone is on board.”
Chris took a few moments and explained it. Steven noted his eyes darted to Kasey every two seconds and it made him wonder if it was a straight forward as he was making it seem. Steven had never dabbled in magic to the depth Chris had, but even to him it seemed, too easy.
Dade was now standing with his hands on his hips looking at the floor. After a long silence he looked up and around the room at the others. “So, let me see if I have this right. We put Coralee in the middle, join hands and you’re going to tap into our collective energies and try to pinpoint our maniac?”
Steven noticed Chris hesitated for two breaths before answering. “Close enough.”
Rachel waved her hands around. “Let’s do it! We’ve tried and failed before, what do we have to lose?” She motioned to the door. “He’s right here on this property with us, I say that increases our chances of finding him.”
Steven, like everyone else he suspected, just wanted this over so life could go back to their version of normalcy. “I agree, we give it a shot and see if we can’t dance in celebration tonight.”
Slowly the others moved to form a circle and stood looking over at Cora and Dade. Dade muttered something under his breath, and Steven was fairly certain he didn’t want to know exactly what. Dade reached down and held out his hand for Cora. She blew out a nervous breath before taking his hand and stood up.
Chris rolled his shoulders a few times. “Cora, just focus on the feelings you’ve been having. Everyone else focus on Cora and hopefully I can link in far enough to get us somewhere.”
Owen cleared his throat. “Is this safe for me?” Steven gave him a blank look. Owen shrugged. “I don’t really have a power like you guys...”
Leena laughed and reached out towards him. “You do have a power and I for one want your energy in this.”
Owen frowned but took her hand. “Okay, but if I get anything burned into my skin I’m gonna be miffed.”
Steven smirked and shook his head as he reached over and took Rachel’s hand. “At least you will heal faster than the rest of...”
Leena shot him a ‘shut up now’ look, so he did.
Dade stood with Cora in the middle of the circle. He ran his hands up and down her arms. “Chris won’t let anything happen.”
Steven glanced over towards Chris and decided the expression on his face was not confirming what Dade was saying. “Come on, Jones. Get in the circle so we can get this done with.”
Dade looked at Cora for a moment longer and then shot Steven a glare as he backed up to stand between Kasey and Leena.
“Everyone look at Cora and concentrate on finding the cause of her feelings,” Chris said quietly as he took Steven’s hand and then Kasey’s.
Steven took Rachel’s hand and squeezed it before he focused on Cora. He tried to keep his mind on the task at hand, but it wasn’t working. He thought of the sadistic asshole on the other end, causing the uneasy feelings for Cora and anger twisted through him. He knew this wasn’t going to be helpful to Chris, so he let out a silent breath and tried to focus once more. He didn’t dare close his eyes because he knew his mind would wander towards the woman whose hand he held tightly and they didn’t need that sort of energy in this circle.
“Good,” Chris said softly. “I’m almost there.”
Steven twisted his neck trying to release the tension in it as he watched Cora. She stood in the center with her head down and hands over her stomach. The look on her face was one of concentration, she was helping to zero in on the feelings swirling inside her, and at least Steven figured that was how they would feel.
He heard Leena gasp and was just about to move his attention from Cora to where she stood across from him when a warm sensation hit him.
Oh
, he thought,
Chris has just jacked into his energy. Interesting.
He brought his mind back to Cora and made himself start over. He thought of the information they’d found so far on the man they sought. The other spell quests they’d tried. He could see the bodies of the first women from Beltane as they had carefully wrapped and moved them. As a doctor he could never understand why someone would do something like that to innocents, or anyone no matter how much wrong a person had ever done in their life or lives, no one should bring judgment on another being in that matter.
His mind wandered back to the women dancing for this sick bastard. Baring themselves in front of so many in hopes to bring justice to one that he deserved... he snarled, what he deserved was surely something he’d never receive. Even if they caught him, the legal system wasn’t going to bring an equal justice for what this man had done.
By the time Steven realized anger was coursing through his veins it was too late to rein it in. He felt the slight vibrations beneath his feet and quickly glanced down at the floor. Cora gasped loudly and his eyes shot back to her, she was bent holding her stomach harder. Chris must have tapped in and the sick fuckers’ minutes were numbered now, they’d have him...
Rachel cried out in pain just as a force he couldn’t even describe slapped them all back several steps, breaking the hold they had on the hands around them.
Steven felt stunned. He clenched his hands a few times and fought to catch his breath. He looked up to see everyone else looking confused and anxious.
Dade stepped to Cora and pulled her into his arms. He gave Steven a bewildered look and then spun to Chris. “What the hell?”
Steven watched Chris shake his head a few times.
Chris frowned. “I don’t know what happened.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I was in, tracing...” Kasey moved over and he wrapped his arms around her. “Cora, what did you feel?”
Cora lifted her head from Dade’s shoulder and let out a slow breath. “I’m not sure. I felt you, Chris and the sensations increased and then--then it was dark and violent and it was all I could do to stay standing.”