Relic (The Brethren Series) (7 page)

“Our services are free. We have a benevolent benefactor. Please say you’ll let me take you there.” He kneeled down on one knee and grasped both of her hands. “If not, you’re going to have to deal with me as a roommate in these tight quarters for the remainder of your stay. Just so you know what to expect,” he teased. “I pace the floor a lot during the night and sing bawdy Irish tunes.”

What a charmer, she thought. A hottie with an adorable personality.

How did I get so lucky
?
Down girl, you’re not thinking clearly. You don’t even know him, really. He’s just the guy who saved you…okay, the guy who saved you twice. But he’s only being nice since he happens to work in a field for which those services are coming in handy at the moment
.

But something about him—something familiar, as impossible as it sounded—made it difficult for her to reject his offer. An indefinable connection between them that grew stronger as he spent more time with her.

Aw, hell. You nearly died…twice! Live in the moment, girl
!

“Okay!” She threw her hands up in the air in surrender and shook her head. “Okay, I’ll do it. I accept your offer. Thank you.”

“Good! I still have a couple of things to discuss with you, but they can keep until we get to the ranch and you’re feeling stronger. I’ll go and get the paperwork rolling on your release. You can rest easy now, Serena. You
will
be safe again.” He looked at her long and hard, which brought a shivery flush all over her body.

He got up and left. She could hear him alerting the guard to let absolutely no visitors in until his return. In under an hour and with the necessary papers filed, courtesy of The Brethren and Raphael’s art of persuasion, she found herself nestled in his arms as he walked out of the hospital.

Chapter Seven

Sprawling ranch? Serena gazed out the car window in wonder. Raphael’s home away from home stood as a red rock fortress that seemed to blend into its companion cliffs. They weren’t that far from the heart of Sedona, oddly enough. She recognized the area as being near the Boynton Canyon vortex. Knowing all she did about vortexes, she was pleasantly surprised. Staying here would definitely help put her body and mind back into balance.

She knew her uncharacteristic frailty would diminish as her strength returned. Physically, she grew stronger, slowly but surely. Emotionally, however, bouts of depression and anxiety left her an absolute mess. She had to give herself some latitude, though. When she first woke in the hospital and had been able to understand her doctors, she found out she could never have children because of how badly she’d been beaten in the desert. Just one more dream dashed to bits to add to the haunted hallways of her home, along with the husband and menagerie of animals.

“This is perfect, Raphael,” she gushed, scanning all about as he lifted her out of the car.

“I thought you’d say that. It is quite a spectacular view.”

Serena caught him gazing down at her and she quickly peered away, trying her damnedest to hide a girlish grin.

As they approached the cavernous entrance to the house, she wondered how he intended to open the door without putting her down. He wasn’t struggling to find a key. Instead, his deep, penetrating voice called out a command, “Door open!” The door released.

“Pretty nifty trick you got there,” she quipped.

“Nothing up my sleeves, simply the latest in voice recognition technology.” He flashed a toothy grin.

As he looked toward the doorway, he froze.

She could tell he’d instantly gone a million miles away. His rugged face softened and his eyes glazed over. If she could hazard a guess, she would say memories of something or someone wonderful had pulled him away.

How nice to have remembrances that could produce that kind of response
.

She figured when she healed, Raphael’s remembrances of her would yield a much darker, tenser expression. She found herself jealous of a memory, and filled with shame. Unable to handle being in his arms any longer, Serena brought him back to the present.

“You can put me down now. I can walk, you know.” She bristled.

The softness in his face faded briefly to yearning before it settled into a mask of cold restraint. He then continued through the doorway. “I’ll just plant you on the couch for now. I’m sure you’ve had enough of being in a bed all day long, and the view of the mountains is stellar. I believe Emma said there would be lunch waiting for us. I’ll go check on it.”

“Fine.”
I made a mistake coming here. Something is going on with Raphael, and
somehow I’m the catalyst. But why
? One minute he was all lusty, looking at her with such longing. Had she imagined the intensity in his eyes back there by the car? And the next he’s all business, cold and distant. Serena decided to confront him over lunch and tell him to bring her back to the hospital. It was for the best, really. She’d begun to have feelings for him, feelings she’d never had for another man, ever. This wouldn’t do. Not at all.

In the light of day, she could see she had a thing for her savior. He reminded her of the mysterious, faceless lover who visited her every night in erotic dreams she’d had since holding the relic. It unnerved her.

I gotta get over this. First of all, it’s not realistic. I know next to nothing about him, and he knows even less about me. If I stay here, my emotions will get the best of me and make it unbearable to be in the same room with him. Secondly, what man in his right mind would want a woman so damaged? Third, he’ll leave me like everyone else I’ve loved in my life has done. Regrettably, I’ve let him get closer to me than any other man. But damn it, for some intangible reason I can’t help it
!

“Here it is!” Raphael called out. “One Spicy Italian foot-long sub, chips, cookie, and a soda, courtesy of Emma…and Subway, of course.” He looked like a waiter as he brought in their lunches. She smiled in spite of herself. He’d placed a towel over his arm and carried the snack tray high above his shoulders.

“Tips are not necessary but appreciated.” He continued in his waiter role, placing the tray on the coffee table before her and the towel on her lap.

Okay, now we’ve got the playful, adorable Raphael. His moods change so much, I’m dizzy
.

“I’ve got a tip for you. Life is uncertain…eat dessert first.” While he sat down next to her, she quickly snatched up the chocolate chip cookie and took a big bite, moaning in ecstasy. “Oh Raphael, you’ve got to have some.” With the cookie still warm, chocolate oozed everywhere, and Serena felt the sinful sweetness threaten to drip down her chin.

That simple suggestion seemed to send Raphael over the edge. Leaning in, he held her face in his hands and kissed her before she could say or do anything. He licked her chocolate-laden lips and teased her mouth open with his tongue. Shocked at first, she quickly succumbed to her own burgeoning feelings and answered him back with equal enthusiasm. All thoughts of returning to the hospital left as she wrapped her arms around his waist to keep him firmly against her.

He murmured words she didn’t understand as he laid a trail over the corner of her mouth, along her cheek to the sensitive part behind her ear, and she shuddered. The lover Serena had seen lurking behind watchful eyes surfaced. This was the man who’d gotten under her skin.

Here is where I get off the bus
!

She couldn’t believe how quickly she’d followed him down this maddening path. She couldn’t let this go on. Too much way too soon. Funny thing about it, he reminded her so much of her dream lover, but still. Coming back to her senses, she disengaged and leaned back. She touched his cheek as his eyes still smoldered with heat.

“I, um, meant you should try the cookie.” Breathless, she tried to regain some of her composure.

“I did. And it was really good.” He licked his lips. He had the most charming and disarming voice she’d ever heard. Liquid gold. That’s what it felt like, liquid gold. “So good, I’m thinking of eating dessert first from now on.” He winked and his eyes glinted in the rays of sunlight streaming through the window.

Oh, sweet Jesus. A bullet of heat went straight to her belly and points due south.
Do something, say anything
!
Distract him for goodness sakes
!

“Well, you know what they say about too much of a good thing.” Serena gave a little cough and took a sip of her soda. “You were saying something before, when you were, uh, trying the cookie, but I couldn’t understand you. It almost sounded like another language,” she remarked, getting a tenuous hold of her emotions.

“I spoke Gaelic. You should know it.” He breathed heavily and leaned back himself.

“What do you mean, I should know?” She reached for her forgotten sandwich, needing something for her idle hands to hold. They were too ready to rake through Raphael’s luscious, long black hair.

“I’ll admit I don’t really know much about you yet.” He reached for his own half of the sandwich. “But I figured you knew Gaelic since you spoke volumes of it during the night in your sleep.”

“What are you talking about?” She laughed. “I don’t talk in my sleep. And I certainly don’t know Gaelic. Isn’t that an old Irish language?”

“Yes, it’s actually ancient Celtic in origin. I happen to know the language quite well, and you, my dear, spoke Gaelic with the aplomb of someone who’s spoken it all her life.”

“I did? That’s pretty wild. I certainly don’t remember doing that, though. And why are you looking at me all funny?” The look in his eyes was so serious, she had to glance away. “You’re starting to freak me out here.”

“At one point you said you were immortal. You couldn’t die.”

He seemed frustrated at this point, but Serena didn’t know why.
What does he expect me to say
?

“Well, that’s stretching it a bit, isn’t it? I mean, okay. I almost died twice, and I’m still here. But I certainly wouldn’t call myself immortal.” With a sharp sarcastic tone she continued, “Cats have nine lives, right? Maybe I’m a cat reincarnated. An ancient cat that spoke Gaelic.”

Raphael didn’t smile.
What is up with him
?

“We’re going to be holed up here for a bit. If you’d like to explore this further, we can do that.”

“That might be a fun distraction from the more troubling realities of the day.” She paused, a plan percolating in her head. “I’d like to call my spiritual healer, Monica Rainchild. She’s been a savior to me over the past couple of years, like you are now. She’s also into helping people with past life regressions. Huh, imagine that. All sarcasm aside, I may have lived a past life. How cool would that be? If I did, I wonder who I might have been. Hmm….”

She settled into her sandwich full throttle now. Crinkling her brow, she began to ponder who she might have been in a past life. Raphael went to the kitchen, needing to refill his glass that he’d strangely drained in one gulp as she spoke.

“Hey, Raphael!” she yelled. “Since I spoke Gaelic, maybe I was some Irish lass or Celtic goddess, like that goddess Sirona statue Jared gave me.”

She heard a crash and some very colorful language come from the kitchen.

Chapter Eight

Outskirts of Tortilla Flat, Arizona

Dr. Brody Chappo did not wait for anything. Not for his supper, not for the phone to ring, and certainly not for his goons to come with his most prized possession. He’d spent the better part of two months digging in Germany, looking for the ancient Goddess Sirona, and he’d found her, only to have her stolen from his grasp by a no-good sleazeball of a lout. Jared Sikes was his name until he disappeared with her about a year and a half ago. Now, his name was mud.

The trail had run cold for a while until his search came up with another name—Serena Sikes, Jared’s sister. Luckily for him, she owned a Jeep tour business and had a website for it, giving him full access to phone numbers and addresses. She couldn’t have made it easier if she’d tried. But then he hit another brick wall when he found out she had taken some kind of leave from the business.

It wasn’t until a few weeks ago that one of his goons saw her in town again. Dr. Chappo had immediately written a letter to one Serena Sikes, telling her of her brother’s misdeeds and how she could make amends. Simply give up Jared or give up the statue of Sirona. All had gone well, he thought as he smiled into his glass of brandy. The boys had retrieved the statue. But they also came back with a juicy tidbit as well.

This Serena Sikes looked remarkably like Sirona. That couldn’t have been mere coincidence. He didn’t believe in those. It’s a sign. The statue will do. But the real thing, now she’s a supreme find. Once I have her, I can rid myself of this fatal disease. I’m sure of it. He’d already begun to ready his lab for what would surely go down in the science journals as a work of genius.

Chappo’d been diagnosed five years ago with FOP, Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a disease that continued to turn his precious muscles, tendons, and ligaments to bone. What a cruel twist of fate indeed, being an archeologist at the ripe age of thirty-two, digging up ancient fossilized bones, only to become a living one himself. Western medicine had nothing to offer. Knowing he lived on borrowed time, he sought out all kinds of alternative treatments while practicing a calm, trauma-free lifestyle. But none could stop the cruel encroachment of the disease. The stress from the theft of his found relic had triggered a resurgence of activity. Even now, he could feel new bones growing, fusing his joints together. His days were numbered.

Sirona is my only hope.

Butterflies flitted in his stomach as his anticipation grew exponentially. He had seen to the preparations himself, making sure her quarters were outfitted with every lavish extravagance a goddess required. Oh, she would be angry at first, but he was confident when he told her of his pain and suffering, her anger would give way to caring. And then she’d do it—she’d do what all the information he’d gathered suggested. She would give him her gift of rejuvenation. And he’d be free from the stranglehold of FOP.