SHADOWLOVE--STALKERS (12 page)

“There is at least one of his clan that you may not be able to hold at bay with your makeshift traps.”

She couldn’t help but notice that the color of Chad’s green eyes had deepened into mysterious lake water. She shook herself free from the observation. “What—just what do you want…really want from me, Chadwick MacFare?”

A small smile lit up his handsome face and then, as though it had never been there, vanished. His mouth was drawn in grimness. “You aren’t taking all of this seriously, Shawna. You say you don’t know
what I am.
The thing is, lass—when they come, they won’t be what
you expect
. They won’t be just vamps looking for blood. They aren’t newbies on the prowl. There will be one in particular, one he will send for you, one who has already been handpicked because of his age and experience. All of them will have skills you are not aware of, but this one…he will be a grade above the rest. They will take you by surprise. Pentim’s vamps do not fit into the usual vampire mold. Pentim chose them—each one—for the individual power each possessed.”

Her hands went to her hips. He thought so little of her, and it was annoying.

He snorted. “Don’t be looking like that, all defiant and brave. It won’t serve you to get anything more than this…”

He had her in his arms and pressed up against his body. She pushed ineffectually against him, and he released her.

She stood back from him. She decided the best course of action was new action. She went over to the coat rack and grabbed a lovely black wool coat, slipped it on, pulled out a wide, silky cinnamon scarf, and draped it around the upturned collar. One eyebrow arched, she drawled, “I’ve changed my mind. I will let you buy me dinner.”

Now it was his turn to be surprised. His brow went up, and he gave her a crooked smile, “Ah, will you indeed, lass? Right then, I think the local pub will do for our very first date.” There was a wicked twinkle in his green eyes and a smirk tilting the corner of his mouth.

She took his tease in stride. He wanted to get a rise out of her, but he wouldn’t, she told herself. Even so, she answered roughly, “This is not a first date.”

“What then? You, definitely woman, and me—as the story goes—together, and as we certainly are not friends, this must be a date.”

She shrugged. “Call it what you will. The fact is—this is not a date. I have decided to go with you so that I can find out more about you. How is that for being on the up and up? Maybe you will show me the same courtesy.”

“Och, lass, but you’re not being on the up and up with me, nor have you been at any time. You know it as well as do I.” His hand waved a stop sign at her. “Come then, I’m starving—aren’t you?” The flirt was on his face and in the way he reached to touch her as they moved towards the door.

She made a grumbling sound as she scooped up her bag and stepped outside with him. He closed the door, but as she went to lock it he said softly, “A moment, lass, and I will do something better.”

He proceeded to say something in what sounded like Gaelic to her while he slowly waved his hand over the doorknob. “There. They’ll be no one—human or otherwise—getting through there, now. When we get back, I’ll be doing your windows as well. Your spells need some improvements.”

“My spells are just fine,” she snapped. His cockiness—his sense of self, his determination—to control made her insane.

“I spelled both this door and your backdoor.”

“Are you…some kind of sorcerer?”

“Not precisely.”

“What then…?”

“We’ll be taking my car. Here you go,” he said as he opened the door of his sleek silver Jaguar for her.

Just for plain old-fashioned orneriness she wanted to object and take her Jeep, but she chided herself for the momentary lapse into infancy and allowed him to see her situated in his luxurious vehicle.

He was determined to maintain idle conversation during their short ride to town and asked what her favorite food might be.

“Everything,” she answered on a smile as she realized how hungry she was.

“Ah—then I’m safe with a pub menu.”

“Uh-huh.” Shawna returned, determined not to give away more about herself than was absolutely necessary.

“And music? Being from New York, no doubt, you prefer rock ’n’ roll.”

“I do, among other music.”

“Like country?”

“I have favorites.”

He sighed heavily. “Do you mean to give me a clue?”

“If you make it past the evening, you might find out.”

“Ah, of course, because you intend to have a long-standing relationship with me.”

“You wish.”

“Do I, lass, now how would you know that? Perhaps I don’t wish it at all.”

She wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. He always seemed to ‘manage’ her, or at least their conversation. He never got flustered, yet he had her flustered all the time.

She sat rigidly, avoiding his eye as she stared fixedly into the darkness out of her window. She turned and looked out into the glow of his car’s headlights, frowning. It had gotten suddenly foggy outside, but that wasn’t what brought the troubled crease to her forehead. It was something else—something with a life of its own, and it was in the atmosphere just outside the car. She felt the atmosphere all around her vibrate with electricity…

She looked at Chad, but she could see he had not yet felt it; however, he must have been in tune to her sudden change of mood, for he asked anxiously, “What, Shawna—what is it?”

“Shhh…I…hear something…something almost like heavy breathing…”

He didn’t laugh or make the joke that immediately came to his head. Instead he peered through the windshield of his car at the dark shadows of landscape outside.

He slowed his vehicle, and both of them peered through the shadows the headlights created. All at once, they exchanged a glance that indicated they both knew something was very wrong.

An entity full with evil intent began to take shape, and they knew it meant them both harm.

Shawna couldn’t quite see it, although she strained with all her mana to make it out. She felt it move with a slithering motion as it crossed the road. Its undetermined form seemed to take shape as she watched it grow.

She heard Chad suck in his breath and curse. “Damn—if we don’t have black magic on the job, Shawna!”

Black magic?
Her eyes opened wide. Why hadn’t she thought of that? When and why had black magic entered her life? Who was behind it, and did it have something to do with Pentim? That was her bottom-line question for every anomaly.

Chad pulled his car up short, and with the engine still running and the headlights set to bright, Shawna watched him step unafraid outside and scan. She made a grab to pull him back, and when she missed, she jumped out of the car as well and went to stand beside him.

He glanced her way, but he didn’t smile as he commented, “Ah, lass, got my back then, do you?”

She nodded but was busy scanning in the dark, and then when it came without warning, it startled her even though she had been expecting something.

Barreling like a force of measured wind, it hit them both with a jolt of electricity as it pounced and then quickly fled past them, out of reach.

Undeterred by the sudden, sharp pain, Chad had started forward before he turned and saw that Shawna was staggering. The electricity the entity had shot through her had taken a bit of a toll.

He reached out for her, pulled her in close, and his voice was at her ear. “Lass…lass…are ye hurt then?”

“No…no, I’m fine—come on, we have to see what it is.”

They both turned and started to give chase when they realized the thing had fled into the forest and vanished.

Shawna stood very still and whispered, “It’s gone.”

“Aye, but not before it accomplished what it set out to do,” Chad answered grimly.

“And what was that?”

“Declare itself, lass—it has declared itself.”

“But why—what does it want, Chad? Is it an extension of Pentim?”

“That is the only thing I am very nearly—and I am saying that I am not totally sure, but nearly—certain about. It has naught to do with Pentim and his clan. This feels…different.”

Shawna released an exasperated sound. “Damn it to hell. Isn’t it enough to have to deal with Pentim Rawley? Now some boogeyman is after me? Why?”

“Not a boogeyman,” Chad said on such a serious note that Shawna burst into laughter.

He frowned at her as he led her, still nervously laughing, back to his car and saw her seated. He got in and looked at her, waited for her to steady herself, and touched her hand, “I wasn’t joking, love.
This
…” He waved his hand in the air. “…is much more dangerous than some child’s idea of a monster.”

“Okay—got it, but I don’t understand what it has to do with me…
you—us
?” Her eyes opened wide. “Maybe it is because of
you
and whatever
you are
?”

“I don’t think so, lass.”

“I haven’t been here long enough to tick anyone off.”

“Who says you have? This has nothing to do with what you did or didn’t do. This is drawn to you…and now to me, because of the power we give off, and it senses.”

“Oh great,” Shawna exclaimed. She then sat in thoughtful silence. As it happened, Chad wasn’t doing any talking either.

A few moments later, he parked his car in front of a brightly lit and charming village pub. She watched him and couldn’t help but admire the height and breadth of the man…
and the courage.

He had jumped into the unknown ready to face it, and it had made her feel safe and secure to be at his side. Should she let him into her life? Should she allow him to help protect her life?
Bait
—came the answer.
He wants to use you as bait. How does that protect you?

This new thing had been at first an unclear mass without form. It had been a body without density. It was an electrical charge without wire!
It was the thing she had seen
outside her window,
and it was time to tell him that.

After he helped her out of the car she stopped on the sidewalk. “Chad—there is something I have to tell you.”

“Right then—let’s get inside,” he said softly as he took her by the elbow.

She felt a wild desire to melt into his arms, but instead she pulled out of his touch. “No…now, first…I have to tell you that the thing we saw tonight—I think it was at my window a couple of nights ago.”

He rounded on her, towering over her, a hunk of fury with glinting green eyes. “What?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure…now I am.”

“Don’t be lying to me, Shawna—it doesn’t suit you, and lies won’t work between us.”

“You lie to me,” she snapped.

“I don’t lie to you. I just don’t tell you everything.”

“Me too—gander, goose thing.”

Suddenly he laughed and gently took her elbow once more. “Right then, lass…Let’s go in and order a pint and some food and see what we can make of this whole thing.”

~ Eight ~

SHAWNA HAD SHOWERED, brushed her long, golden hair into a loose pile around her face, and taken a look at herself in the mirror.
Hmm, hair shiny, face not bad
…

She didn’t want to admit why she was taking extra care with herself this morning. She pulled on a pair of Gap jeans and a soft black sweater, tied up her sneakers and moved to her bedroom door.

Timidly she opened her door a crack and peeked around to the view it allowed her on the other side.
No sign of him
.

She opened her door wider and stepped out. Still no sign of him. There was a small lavatory without a shower in the hall, and as that door was open wide, she could see he wasn’t making use of it.

She ventured further and looked into both the living room area and the kitchen—no sign of him, and all at once she realized (and with a sense of disappointment) that he was gone.

She told herself she was relieved he was gone and went to her kitchen, where she found a pot of coffee already made and a note with her name on it. She unfolded the paper to read:

Good morning to you, lass.

Didn’t think you’d be wanting me sharing the shower with you on our first morning together, and besides I had a few things I needed doing.

I’ll be calling you later, love—ah so I will.

He hadn’t even bothered signing it. She blew at her soft bangs, and her mind drifted to the previous evening as she poured her coffee and then slowly sipped the delicious hot brew.

Dinner had sped by so fast. They had talked—or rather she had talked, and he had listened. She didn’t know how it happened. Perhaps it had been the event they had tackled together earlier in the evening on the road?
Whatever
. She had opened her mouth, and all these words came gushing out, and she was suddenly telling him about her childhood…her college…her hopes…