Touched (2 page)

“I don’t know either,” Keira breathed. She felt wanted, needed, alive again.

“I let my Shield down too far, though. The Shadow Vampires sensed it and found us.”

He bit his lip so hard, Keira feared it would bleed. Cooper was still dwelling on danger, frightened of having feelings for her again.

“But we vanquished them,” Keira said proudly.

“For now,” he breathed. “We can’t stay here long, though. They are reconstituting even as we speak.”

Strengthened by his feelings for her, Keira threw her head back, tossed her long, blonde, golden hair over her shoulders, as she used to do in school. Cooper had said
We
. Keira took it in.
We
. He wasn’t leaving without her. She belonged to him now. He was taking her with him.

“Of course,” she whispered. “Where will we go?”

“I remember something from childhood,” he said. “My father once told me there was a letter waiting for me, with directions to my people and my fate. He didn’t mean to tell me, it slipped out after a mission he’d been on. He’d fed for hours and was in a good mood. The letter is around a cottage in the woods, near Lake Michigan. Not so far away. He mentioned the name of the road and the county.”

“Let’s go,” said Keira.

“But this is temporary, Keira.”

What was temporary? Their relationship, being together? Or the defeat of the Shadow Vampires? She had to be clear.

“What is?”

“Everything,” he answered sorrowfully. “Temporary and forever.”

This was no time for speaking in riddles. Her life depended on being with him and she knew it. She had odd powers she didn’t understand, they were growing daily. She had to find out who she was. Where in the world could she go alone? With him everything would fall into place.

“Where you go, I go,” she spoke in a rumbling voice that suddenly erupted from the center of her being and terrified her. It rose up like thunder over a dark mountain.

“Remember this though,” he said firmly. “There is no place for us. This mad world cannot hold us. We don’t belong to it in the way you think.”

He was right. They had stepped outside the limits of every world. She had no idea where she belonged but, at this moment, being with him was everything. It was all she needed right now.

 “We can do it. We can find your mother and your people. I know they are waiting for you.”

As if snapped out of a dream, the color in his face returned. He sat up tall, and sparkled as he always did.

“Yes, we can.”

“And I can help you,” the words flowed through Keira by themselves.

He reached out and took her hand, and she knew, right then, that they would take this journey together.

CHAPTER 2

They left the diner and raced into Cooper’s blue car, to take the ride to the cottage where Cooper felt the letter was buried. It was wonderful being with him again, thrilling to be taking this drive together across the countryside. The weather had turned cooler, but there were still flashes of autumn leaves on some trees, although most of them were bare by now. As they headed north, the wind grew crisper.

Keira knew that the strain of what he’d been through was easing up and he was more himself again now. As Cooper sat beside her, driving, she felt his powerful energy and a surge of longing gripped her. She wanted him to hold her again, kiss her the way he had before. She wanted their bodies to intertwine.

“Cooper,” she murmured, filled with desire.

 He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. The feel of his lips thrilled her. They awoke energy and love inside. She stretched out her arms to him, and he took her hand in his. She could feel his strength and caring. His touch also calmed her anxiety that this could not last.

Keira feared that sooner or later he would leave her. This was too wonderful, too perfect. What had she done to deserve it?  And Cooper was not even part of the human race. – She had to keep reminding herself of that. It didn’t make sense, though. She felt more connected to him than any human she’d ever met. What could that possibly mean? Keira wanted him to talk to her now.

As if reading her mind, he said, “Time is short. We have to get there. They’re reconstituting. Soon they’ll be after us again with more vengeance than ever. They live off vengeance, they’re dedicated to revenge. It gives them power.”

Keira felt no fear. An odd kind of peace had enveloped her. She felt a huge sense of calmness and ease.

“And besides, we’re not even sure where we’re going,” Cooper continued, pressed.

“Who is ever sure of anything?” she replied softly.

Cooper laughed. They understood each other, gave each other courage.

“Who are you, Keira?” he asked lightly. “Every day there’s a new surprise.”

 “I have no idea who I am,” she said. “Neither does anyone else. Humans pretend to know, but they do not. They pretend to be someone important and special, but deep down underneath, they’re all scared.”

Cooper grew silent, taking it all in. Keira knew that he craved to know all about humans. He’s only lived with his father all these years. Keira thought of her own father for a moment, and felt a deep pain in her heart. They’d left on such horrible terms. Would he always hate her? Would she ever see him again? Was he wondering now where she was, searching for her? It was too much to think about, though.

As she thought about her father, Cooper reached out and took Keira’s hand. It gave her strength and hope to be hand in hand. It was a strange kinship between them, Keira thought. Not only did they share similar feelings, they knew just what the other felt and thought.

“I was thinking about my father,” she said.

“I know,” said Cooper.

“It’s hard,” Keira said, as a tear fell from the edge of her eye.

Cooper leaned over and brushed the tear away. “I’m sorry, Keira.”

 “I know you need to find your mother, too,” she said.

“Will I?” he asked softly then.

“You will,” said Keira, certain of it.

He laughed, and then suddenly there was a loud noise in the sky. They looked and saw a group of long, dark birds, flying together across the lake. They were beautiful, strong, fearless in their journey through the sky. Keira looked at them in awe. This is a sign, she thought: they were accompanying them.

But it was more than that and Keira knew it. Every pore of her body turned into listening. She became open to any thought and sound, didn’t want to miss the slightest whisper or sound. These birds were guiding them to their next stop.

“We’re very close”, she said. “These birds will guide us right to the cottage.”

The birds swirled together, looped around and flew in the direction of a cluster of pine trees. Then they disappeared from sight.

 “That way,” Keira pointed. “Through those pine trees. The understanding came to her in waves.

Cooper turned the car to where she pointed, following her every word. She knew he trusted her now. But it wasn’t
he
r he was trusting. He was trusting the universe, who was using her as a messenger. A beloved messenger.

*

Cooper drove along a road that led to an opening in the woods, surrounded by pine trees and bramble. They parked got out and walked into the cluster of trees and saw what looked like an old broken down shack sitting in the middle of a field behind them. It was made of old bricks, filled with weeds and thistle. Behind that there were two narrow paths that intersected.

Cooper stopped and stared. “This is not so different from the place I was raised in, where the Shadow Vampires live,” he murmured.

Keira didn’t know they
lived
anywhere. “Lived?” she asked.

“Root in,” he corrected himself. “I mean the place they gather in, return to. The place they raise the young Shadow Vampires in. Of course they’re spread across the world, but the main coven in this country is hidden behind pine trees and rocks. I used to love the smell of pine trees as a kid, growing up.”

Keira was startled for a moment. She had a hard time picturing Cooper growing up among the Shadow Vampires. After her encounter with them, she wanted to get as far away from them as possible now. “Were they rooted on Lake Michigan?” she said.

“No,” Cooper said. “Closer to Chicago. Near a lake there, too. And, of course they swarmed into the city, regularly. It wasn’t so far from Everstock.”

“Not good to think about the Shadows now,” she said. Keira felt herself receiving a new power now, she was more and more able to sense directions. This new power amazed her, thrilled and excited her. The world was opening up before her like a huge flower blooming at dawn. When she remembered how confused and clouded the world used to seem, she wondered how she ever was able to live that way. “Let’s focus on where we are,” she said. “Look at this cottage. I think it’s it.”

The tiny, wood thatched cottage sat in a clearing. A streak of sunlight led them to it. If you didn’t know it was there, it would be very easy to miss .The clearing was surrounded by thick trees and two large boulders stood in front of the door.

Cooper hit one of the boulders with his fist. “Blocked!” he scowled, “wouldn’t you know it.”

But Keira was delighted. She felt at home in this spot, tremendously close to Cooper here and protected from any harm. She was eager to get inside. Keira walked up to the boulders. She took them in, sensed their energy and in a flash realized that she was larger than they were, stronger than any obstacle. These boulders were no match for her.

She leaned against one, stroked it, and as if it were a tiny pebble, with one swift push, rolled it aside. Then she did the same with the other boulder.

Cooper watched in awe.

“Your strength is quadrupling,” he exclaimed as the boulders rolled down the pathway and stopped about six feet away.

Keira felt chills run up and down her arm. What would have been a huge task for her even a few days ago, was now nothing. She was thrilled, but also needed more intensely to know where these powers were coming from. What was wanted from her in the long run?

The cottage inside was fresh and welcoming. There was a main room with wicker furniture, a hand woven rug and windows bordered by white shutters and offering a view of trees, bushes and a little lawn outside. A small kitchen was at the far side of the living room, with a yellow wooden table for them to eat at. Off the main foyer were two little bedrooms, each with twin beds, made up with fresh linen and clean, worn, wool blankets. It was unsettling to see the place so well cared for.

“Who does this belong to?” Keira asked.

“No one,” said Cooper. “These places are hideouts, prepared and waiting for the Shadow Vampires all over the world, should they need them. The cottages are scattered everywhere. You just have to know they are here, and be able to find your way. I heard about this place-- and others-- for years.”

Keira breathed deeply, wondering if she and Cooper could actually settle in and live here? They could use time alone together, to find out how to make their relationship grow and who they could possibly be to each other. She looked over at Cooper and shivered. He looked so gorgeous standing in the dim light that came in through the windows. His eyes glowed and his body rippled with strength and energy. She longed to go over and hold him, but was also afraid. There was nothing keeping them apart now. There was no place they could go to be away from each other. Would her love for him destroy him? Destroy her? Could they tolerate the closeness and the intensity?

Sensing her feelings, Cooper turned his gaze to her and ran it up and down her body. Keira felt his desire, flowing over her, through her. He wanted her too, but she felt he was being careful and protective of both of them. She had no idea who would make the first move, or if the first move could even be made?

As if hearing her thoughts, he turned away and sat down in a chair on the far end of the room.

“I want to show you something,” he said, to break the mood between them. Clearly, he wanted to stay on focus, not be distracted from the reason they had come.

Keira went over and sat on a chair opposite him.

“What do you want to show me,” she  asked. They were just beginning to live together, she reminded herself. This was different from quick, furtive, meetings at school. It was okay to go slower, understand each other more deeply. For all they knew, it could save their lives.

Cooper pulled something from his pocket and put it in the palm of his hand. Then he opened his palm, reached out and showed it to her.

It was a beautiful, gleaming, silver ring, with 5 small jewels set it in – an emerald, amber, ruby, opal and amethyst. There was an empty spot next to the amethyst, where a sixth jewel had fallen out.

Keira was dazzled by it.

 “This ring belonged to the Torches for hundreds of years, and was then in my mother’s possession. My father stole it from her, when he kidnapped me. All through the years he looked at it. It gave him strength, connected him to her, and her tribe. From time to time, he even showed it to me.”

“It helped him in his battle with them?”

“No,” Cooper bristled. “I believe he missed her. He still cared for her.”

Keira was shocked. “Really? I thought the Shadow Vampires were at war with all the other tribes?”

“They are. But my father had a moment of surrender after a battle with her tribe. He said when he saw my mother he was so drawn, he couldn’t overcome it. They mated and I was born. My father was punished greatly for it for ten years, but he never really regretted it. He was always very attached to me. I always thought it was my mom he was attached to -- that I was the link.”

“At least you were born,” Keira said, looking at him now, so tall, shining, knightly.

“But once you cross the line, and mate with someone from a different tribe, the system is damaged. Your tribe is also in jeopardy. One way or other, there’s an aberration and it threatens the entire system. But it’s also possible for great beings to be born like that.”

Keira felt that Cooper was a great being. She wanted to tell him so, too.