Incorporeal (16 page)

Nathan ignored her. He grasped her hand, wrapped it within his own. “You don’t want me here because something happened tonight; you saw something, or you met someone, I don’t know which, but I do know you’re afraid. I can smell your fear.” She closed her eyes and felt his other hand brush her cheek. “You don’t have to be afraid, Sara. I’m here.”

“
Oh, Nathan, they’re back. The ghosts are back.” Sara collapsed into his arms. It didn’t matter to her that she was naked and he was fully clothed, wet, but clothed. She wanted him to make it all go away, thaw the splinter of ice that had pierced her heart at the sight of the woman’s spirit in the bus. And the memory of
that
man, that awful man. Just the image of his face behind her closed eyelids made her shudder.

“
Sara.” His hands roamed her back, soothed her; calmed her racing heart. “Tell me what happened.”

“
Later,” she whispered, reaching up to run her fingers through his wet hair. Tilting her head back, she pulled his mouth down to hers. “I’ll tell you later. For now, just kiss me.”

***

Nestling her head into the hollow of Nathan’s still damp shoulder, Sara sighed. If things could stay like this forever, she would be content. But the thought was fleeting. What kind of life could they live; Nathan stuck in limbo, here, inside the house? That meant she was stuck in limbo as well.

Sara’s original questions returned with a vengeance.
Why is he here?

She lifted herself up on an elbow, her palm flat on his chest, kneading the hard muscle beneath. He kept his eyes closed. “Nathan?”

“
Hmm?”

“
Why are you here?”

He smiled. “In this bed? Because a wild woman had her way with me.”

The corner of Sara’s mouth turned up in a wry grin.

Get serious. Don’t let him sidetrack you
. “No, Nathan. Why are you here, in my house? Why did you come here?”

He opened his eyes and slid a hand behind his head. “I don’t know.” He stared at the ceiling.

“
Liar.” Sara leaned over him. “You’re a liar and you suck at it. Why are you here?”

Nathan flipped onto his side and sat up on the edge of the bed, facing away from her.

“
What’s wrong?” Sara followed, wrapping her legs around his narrow hips, her arms around his broad shoulders. She pressed her bare breasts to his back and she felt Nathan’s muscles contract as her nipples brushed his skin.

His voice was nothing more than a low rumble. She could feel the echo through her chest wall. “I don’t know how much time I have left. I don’t know how much time we have left.”

Nathan turned suddenly, flipping Sara onto her back. Already positioned between her legs, he thrust into her, hard, as if taking possession of her. “You’re mine, Sara, remember that, and remember this. Remember the feel of me inside you. Remember.”

Throwing her head back, Sara gasped at the force of her ghost lover. She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak his lips covered hers. Even as she grasped the implication of his words and her eyes filled with tears, Sara rocked her hips, taking him deeper, welcoming his unbridled power.

Remember? Yes, Nathan, I’ll remember you forever
.
I’ll love you forever
.

***

Exhausted, eyelids heavy, Sara forced herself to wake up. The room was completely dark. Nathan must have turned off the lights. She could hear his soft breathing beside her. When she allowed herself to think about it, it seemed odd how quickly she’d grown accustomed to the fact that he could sleep. For so many months he’d been incorporeal. Now his body beside her in bed was like an extension of her own. There was no question; no doubt; Nathan was every inch a man, her man. She couldn’t imagine life without him.

Shut up. Don’t ask that question. You won’t like the answer.

Sara climbed out of bed, taking care not to wake Nathan. She glanced at him. He seemed at peace, despite the questions she’d refused to answer.

Tomorrow will be soon enough. It’s better to discuss these things in the light of day
.

Sara shivered at the memory of that man’s eyes boring into her at the bar in Vallejo. There was something diabolical about him, almost inhuman. The way he looked at her shook her more than she wanted to admit. The man was one bad dude.

I wonder if there’s any way to find him, to bring him to the attention of law enforcement. He’s done terrible things, and that’s not a guess, that’s a fact. Just the thought of him gives me the creeps, even the spirits surrounding him freak me out. Ghosts have annoyed me, they’ve angered me, startled me, bugged the hell out of me, but they’ve never terrified me like this.

Sara grabbed her bathrobe and hurried out of the bedroom before she tripped over something and woke Nathan.
He always wakes at the slightest sound
.

I’m surprised Dalton hasn’t called. Shit.
Sara remembered her phone. Even if Dalton had called, she wouldn’t have been able to reach her; the battery was dead.

Where did I leave my purse? Ah, table at the bottom of the stairs.

Sara carried it into the kitchen before she risked turning on a light. As she fished for her phone, Sara had the feeling she was missing something. She plugged the phone into the charger and then peered into her purse.
What’s missing? It seems too empty
. Tired and bleary eyed, she finally dumped the contents out onto the kitchen table.

My wallet. Oh my god, my wallet’s missing. Where’s my wallet? What did I do with it?

Sara went over the events of the evening. She remembered paying the bill at the restaurant. She’d pulled her wallet out and given Geri some cash.
Did I put it back? Yes, I must have put it back because I’d stuck my ferry ticket in my wallet and I needed the ticket to get on the bus.

Think. Think
. Sara sat down at the table and dropped her head into her hands. She tried to remember what she’d done at the bar.
I didn’t buy anything. I sat at table. I looked for my phon
e. Sara pushed the chair away and rose to her feet.
Oh no. No. Please tell me I didn’t do what I think I did.
She rubbed her temple
. I pulled it out when I was looking for my phone and I must have left it sitting on the table. That was right when the waitress, what was her name? Stella, her name is Stella, brought me a beer. Oh crap, I left it sitting on the table.

Maybe Stella or Chester found it after I left.

Yeah, right; dream on. You bloody idiot. If anyone responsible had picked it up after you left, someone would have called you.

Sara quickly checked her call log. There were four calls from Dalton and one from Geri, but that was it.

He’s got it. He’s got my driver’s license. He knows where I live
.

She flew across the kitchen and flipped off the light.
He could be out there right now, watching me
. She peered through the window into the dark yard.

“
What is it, Sara?”

Clutching her chest, Sara swung around. “Geez, Nathan, you scared me to death.”

“
I doubt that.” He crossed his arms. Even in the unlighted kitchen, she could make out his stern face. He was completely naked. “Why are you down here? Why did you turn off the light and why are you staring out the window?” He looked her up and down. “And don’t distract me with your body.”

Sara clutched at the collar of her terry robe. “My, my body?” She could see his erection jutting towards her.

“
Yes, your body, the way you did in the shower. Who has made you so frightened? I’ve already smelled his scent on you so you may as well tell me the truth. I am not the only liar in this room.”

There was no point in hiding her fear. Nathan could read her like an open book. Sara gave up and sagged against the counter. “He’s got my wallet, my driver’s license. He knows where I live, Nathan. He knows where I live.”

“
Who?”

“
I don’t know.”

Nathan crowded her, staring over her shoulder into the dark yard. “You know some things. Tell me.”

Sara held her breath for an instant. She blew it out. “He made me cold,” she said in a rush, “like shivering and shaking cold. He followed me from San Francisco. He tried to talk to me, tried to get me to come with him.” Before she could stop the words, Sara blurted out, “And he has the spirits of dead women around him.”

Nathan turned towards her, a look of horror on his face.

Sara grabbed his arm. “I could see the dead women, Nathan. One of the women warned me.”

“
What did she say to you?”

Sara shrugged. “She said nothing at all. She looked at him and then she looked into my eyes, and I knew. It was a warning. But I didn’t need it, I’d already felt him.”

“
Felt him?”

“
Yes.” The more she remembered about her encounter with the man, the tighter Sara’s hands gripped his arm. “I felt his presence. I felt him before I ever saw him. I’m pretty sure he was watching me at the Ferry Building.” She shook the hair out of her eyes. “To be honest, I don’t know how long he was watching me. What is he?”

Without a word, Nathan vanished. Sara whirled around, peering in every direction, but as far as she could tell, he’d left the house.

“
Nathan,” she called after him. “Nathan?” There was no answer.

***

Nathan floated over Sara’s property, searching the woods from one end to the other. He looked under every rock, behind every bush and tree, even up into the branches. Incorporeal, he wandered down the road a ways, watching for vehicles. He couldn’t go far before he was pulled back, as if by invisible rope, to the house.

She shouldn’t live out here alone. It’s too isolated. Her nearest neighbor is a full mile away.

He will come, of that I have no doubt. As she says, he has her address. If he has this wallet of hers, he’ll know where she works as well, and I can’t go there. I can’t accompany her to her job. He can take his time, formulate a plan. Wait for the perfect opportunity. There’s no need for him to rush. He has all the time in the world, while I may have very little.

No, he’ll come sooner rather than later. A Demon has no patience for delayed gratification. He’s deciding right now. He might come before dawn
.

Nathan rushed back toward the house. All was dark, but he could make out Sara’s silhouette in the kitchen window.
Sara must stay inside. I have no physical body out here. I’m not certain I can protect her if she leaves the house.

Damn. Why didn’t the Guardian kill the Demon when he had the chance? Destroying the human body harboring it would be, as Sara says, a piece of cake. He could have done away with him and no one would be the wiser.

Yes, but it’s not permitted. His intervention is limited.

And yours isn’t?

Nathan realized he didn’t get a description of the Guardian. Sara hadn’t told him the entire story, but then, he hadn’t waited to hear it.

In another instant, he stood beside her. “Who helped you?”

With a cry, Sara flew across the room as though she’d been thrown by a great blast of wind. Clutching the edges of her robe together, she turned to face him. “Don’t ever do that, throw me around like that.”

“
I didn’t throw you.”

“
Yes, you did.”Sara pushed her wayward hair from her face. “Or your power threw me, I don’t know which. I hate it when you sneak up on me like that.”

Nathan strode across the room and swept her into his arms. “I’m not sneaking and I’m sorry. I’m angry you’ve been put in harm’s way while I remain limited. I’m feeling out of control. You must remember, Sara,” he lowered his voice, “I’m dead. He is not. I had to make certain he isn’t outside your home.”

Sara threw her arms about his neck, holding on tight. “He’s not out there, is he?”

Nathan shook his head and carried her into the living room. The lights still off, he sat down onto the couch, folding her onto his lap. “Tell me who helped you, Sara. Someone protected you and I want to know who he is.”

Sara’s laugh sounded more like a dry cough. “Can you smell him too?”

Nathan saw nothing funny about the situation. He answered her in one word. “Yes.”

She cleared her throat. “A man named Chester helped me, a bartender.”

“
What did he look like?”

“
Does it matter?”

“
Yes, Sara, it matters very much.”

She closed her eyes. “He was tall and dark, scruffy looking, tough and very large. He looked like the kind of man who’d fought in many battles, like, in a war or something. I suppose he would frighten most people.”

“
But not you.” He wasn’t asking a question.

“
No.” She opened her eyes and looked up into his face, a puzzled expression on her own. “Not to me. To me he seemed safe.”

Nathan closed his eyes.
I wish I could go back, to consult with him, but I can’t leave the house and I won’t leave Sara
.

“
Chester is like you, isn’t he? He’s dead.”