The Serpent in the Stone (The Gifted Series) (20 page)

He cast a doubtful glance out the door, then his features softened.
“
I
’
m not sure I did, but you
’
re welcome.
I don
’
t know how much of this to believe, even when I
’
ve got proof, Sara.
I just didn
’
t want anything to happen to you.
”

She tucked the amulet under her shirt, uncertain what to do with that look in his eyes, less certain where they stood now.
“
You should probably move your tent.
”

“
Probably.
”

“
But you
’
re not going to.
”

Ian shook his head.

“
Why not?
You heard what Faith said.
”

He touched her cheek.
“
You sure you
’
re all right?
”

The unexpected contact of his skin against hers drove any further questioning out of her head.
She closed her eyes, willing the touch to mean more than a simple expression of concern.
A lick of flame raced across her skin, so strong she knew he must feel it.
“
I
’
m fine.
”

He turned to go.

She took a quick step toward him.
“
Ian?
”

He stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

Sara
’
s heartbeat slammed against her ribs.
The word
stay
caught in her throat.
She opened her mouth and hesitated.
“
Be careful.
”

He smiled and left the tent.
Her breath rushed out.

****

The next afternoon, Ian sat near the cliff edge with a pair of binoculars and his journal.
The falcon circled in the air overhead.
Its presence had scared off some of the other birds.
Ian couldn
’
t bring himself to care that day.

He knew he should have been working, but the salt air and sunshine lulled him away from his assignment. He set his journal down. Lying back in the short, windswept grass, he tucked his arms under his head. Cottony clouds rolled across the sky in stately procession. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts drift.

They went right to Sara. Since he’d come upon her naked at the inlet, not a day had gone by that he hadn’t conjured that image in his mind. He almost regretted tossing her the towel so she could cover that beautiful body. If he hadn’t... Well, it was a good thing he had. Whatever she was, whatever she did or could do, he wanted her too much.

He
’
d held on so long to the conviction that any telekinetic deserved his hatred.
One of her kind had murdered his father, and his attraction to her should have been a betrayal of the worst order.
Her kind.
Like he
’
d been willing to lump her in with murderers, just because of something she was, something she couldn
’
t change.

That made him the monster.

He felt like the falcon, whirling first one way and then the other.
Wanting her, not wanting her.
One minute, he
’
d almost made up his mind to put her at arm
’
s length.
In the next, he thought of her soft skin, her sigh of surrender when he
’
d touched his lips to her throat, her laugh, her smile...

“
Hi.
”

His eyes flew open.
Sara stood over him, dimpling.
The look sent him into a delirious tailspin.

“
Is this a rest break?
”
She sat down beside him.

He found his tongue.
“
I
’
m sick of working today.
The terns aren
’
t busy, I
’
ve written seven pages on plant life, and Horus is doing cartwheels for my amusement.
Sit and watch.
”

She lay down with a soft groan, then pillowed her head on her arms.
“
Let me just tell you how good a lukewarm camp shower feels after a day of dirt and grime.
By the end of a project, I usually feel like I
’
ve been petrified in mud.
”

The moment she stretched out beside him, Ian ceased to think rationally.
If he rolled over, he would have been on top of her, feeling that incredible body underneath him.
His hands itched to touch her and banish his inadequate memories of her skin with the feel of the real thing.
He inhaled, almost disappointed when he couldn
’
t smell cinnamon on the air.

“
I came to help you with the falcon project,
”
she said.

His heated thoughts shattered into pieces.
He sat up.

She unfolded her arms and sat up, too.
“
What?
Do you not want the help now?
”

“
No.
Yes, I want the help.
I just didn
’
t—
”

“
You thought I
’
d back out.
”

He took her hand, surprising both of them.
“
I don
’
t want you to do it.
”

“
Why not?
”

How could he tell her what she did to him?
Where would he even start?
“
You don
’
t have to prove anything to me.
And you don
’
t owe me anything.
Besides, I don
’
t want you getting hurt doing this on my account.
”
He realized he still held her hand, and released it.

She stared at him for a moment.
He couldn
’
t read anything in that whiskey-colored gaze.
At last, she got to her feet.
“
Do you have a pair of heavy leather gloves?
”

“
On my trunk in the tent.
Why?
”

She started toward his tent.
He stood up and jogged after her, catching up just as she went inside.

She picked up the right-handed glove and put it into his hand.
“
I know I don
’
t have to prove anything to you, but I think we need to do this.
I am not dangerous to you.
I might even be able to help you.
”

He glanced down at the glove.
When he looked up again, she
’
d already left the tent.

Outside, she waited beside one of his tarp-covered shipping crates.
“
What are you going to do?
”
he asked.

“
How close can I get to Horus before he
’
ll attack me?
”

He didn
’
t answer.

“
Come on, how close?
You
’
d better put that glove on.
You
’
re going to need it.
”

Uneasy with doubt, he shoved his hand into the glove.
“
Forty, fifty feet.
But that
’
s as a human.
Are you sure about this?
”

“
Sure, I
’
m sure.
”
She walked toward the cliff edge.

He followed.
“
Be careful about him.
I don
’
t know what he
’
ll do if...
”

She paused to look over her shoulder at him.

Ian cleared his throat and rubbed his gloved hand through his hair.
“
...if he thinks you
’
re just another female falcon.
”

“
Are you worried he
’
s going to flirt with me?
”

Exactly how did a man get jealous of a bird?
“
Just be careful, all right?
”
he shot back.

She paced to the very threshold of the cliff and looked down.
Wind swept her hair off her shoulders.
He tensed, wanting to pull her back.

“
Trust me,
”
she said, and stepped off the edge.

“
Sara!
”
He lunged for her, but the hem of her shirt slipped out of his reach.
His heart wedged in his throat.
He dropped to his knees at the cliff edge.
Strangling, he dug his fingers into the precipice and watched her fall in a graceful swan dive.

Light burst along the contours of her body.
She blurred, and—
Flash
!—a falcon rolled in midair where Sara had been.
The bird soared outward over the water.

Ian sat back with his mouth hanging open.
“
Sweet mother of Jesus.
”
The echo of his racing heartbeat pounded through his body.

A long, sharp cry rang out overhead.
He looked up.
Horus folded his wings and plummeted through the air.
Oh, God, he
’
s attacking her.
Unable to look away, he watched as the other falcon—Sara—wheeled to fend off the assault.
She gave a cry of her own and spun sideways.

Horus flashed by and climbed higher, only to round on her again.
Ian closed his eyes, expecting Horus to knock her from the air the same way he hunted his food.
Two hundred miles an hour,
he thought, picturing the male
’
s next attack.
She
’
d never stand the strike.

He heard another series of calls from both of them, and opened his eyes.
The birds reeled around one another, soaring past and circling back to do it again.
It looked like...

Dancing.

Stunned, he watched them spin and plunge in an aerial ballet.
He almost lost track of Sara in their dizzying whirl.

Then they separated.
Horus rose into the air and went back to circling.
Sara, the larger falcon, swept across the sky toward the cliff.

She sailed closer, dropping her tail and tilting her wings when she reached him.
He stood up, remembering at the last minute to raise his gloved hand.
She landed on it with a drawn-out chirrup that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
Air from her flapping wings gusted against his face.
He stared into her large, vivid-green eyes in wonder.

She was beautiful.

Awestruck, he held out his left hand.
She gave the chirping sound again and swept her wing against his hand.
The springy-soft primaries brushed through his fingers.

She leapt from his hand and fluttered to the ground.
The light flashed again, and the next thing he knew, Sara stood beaming in the bird
’
s place.
She launched herself at him and threw her arms around his neck.
“
I did it!
He talked to me!
Why did I never try that before?
”
She giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

Ian
’
s heart squeezed, and something inside him snapped.
Unable to stop himself, he swung her in a circle.
He set her down, but couldn
’
t make himself let go of her.

Still laughing, she pushed her hair back.
“
It was only in the most basic sense, but we communicated.
At first, he was angry that I was in his territory.
Then he must have thought I was just a female falcon, like you said—
”

Ian felt his smile falter.

“
—but I think he realized I was different, so he backed away.
”
Her face fell.
“
He
’
s lonely.
”